When To See A Doctor For Your Bipolar Disorder
When you have a chronic mental health condition like bipolar disorder, it can be difficult to determine if and when you should seek out the care of a doctor to help you deal with your condition. If you are currently struggling to know when to seek out healthcare services for your bipolar disorder, it is important to get to know more about the signs that you should be getting help for your symptoms and bipolar disorder issues. Then, you can be sure that you are taking the best possible care of yourself now and into the future.
You Have Suicidal Thoughts or Ideations
One of the biggest signs that you should go to the doctor for your bipolar disorder is if you have been experiencing suicidal thoughts or ideations. Feeling suicidal, thinking about death a great deal, or otherwise planning or considering ending your life can be a major sign of trouble when you have bipolar disorder.
Many people think that passing thoughts of suicide or death of the general variety are not as serious as coming up with a plan or a method of doing so. However, this is not necessarily the case. When you have a mental health condition, any thoughts of death or suicide, whether general or not, you should never ignore them and should always seek out help.
Suicidal thoughts are never normal, and your doctor should know when you are experiencing them. Being able to talk about your thoughts or feelings can help to get rid of them. Additionally, you may need to have medications adjusted or changed to help you get rid of those suicidal thoughts once and for all.
You Have Been Depressed for More than a Few Weeks
Depressive cycles are a major part of bipolar disorder and can be long-lasting and quite problematic. If you have a depressive episode, you may feel as though you should try to fight through it on your own. This is understandable as therapists and doctors try to help you develop your own coping strategies for dealing with depressive and manic episodes.
However, if you have been trying to deal with your depression on your own for more than two or three weeks and you are still struggling with your symptoms, it is time to talk to your doctor and/or your therapist. You may need to change your medication dosages, switch medications, or start taking medications if you are not already doing so. If you have not been going to therapy or seeing a psychiatrist regularly, you may also need to start doing so to break free of your depression.
Knowing these signs that you need to see a doctor for your bipolar disorder, you can be sure that you are doing everything you can to get the healthcare services you need when you need them.