Do you experience periods where you have more energy than usual, with a heightened focus on achieving particular goals? During these periods do you feel that you are more talkative, have a higher self-esteem, need less sleep, and have more ideas than usual? Do these symptoms lead to you doing things that lead to consequences? Bipolar Disorder (you may know it as Manic-Depressive) involves these symptoms of a Manic Episode, and may also include periods of depression. The Gold Coast Psychologists at CBT Professionals have the skills to assist you to overcome these types of difficulties. Our Gold Coast psychologists know how to assess and train you on how to take control of these situations.
What does treatment involve?
A treatment program for Bipolar Disorder aims to give you understanding and skills in recognising triggers to episodes of mania and depression, and assist you in coping more effectively with your symptoms. This will involve keeping monitoring records of your mood and the events occurring in your life. Working with your gold coast psychologist, as a team, you will work to understand the types of thoughts and behaviours that increase the severity of your symptoms, and lead to unhelpful behaviours that cause negative consequences to your life. At this point, your psychologist will then be able to provide you with skills and tools to help you function in your day-to-day life.
Why choose CBT Professionals?
All of our Gold Coast psychologists are selected based on a uniting set of values that define us as a truly caring practice. We stand against the practice of generic treatments and know that every case is unique and needs our best care and attention to craft a treatment approach specific to your situation.
What will it cost me?
Without treatment, Bipolar Disorder can lead to severe consequences following manic episodes such as loss of money, trouble with the law, injury, broken relationships and more. Episodes of depression may lead to social withdrawal, low motivation, and difficulties attending work. Treatment for Bipolar Disorder can greatly assist you with continuing your life, despite the changes in mood. It is never too late to treat, however, early treatment provides more time for quality of life.
CBT Professionals charge a modest fee for service and we are aware that people in need shouldn’t have the added pressure of services that they can’t afford. To find out more about our fee structure you can look at our Fees page of our website linked here.
How does it work?
There is solid scientific evidence to support a Cognitive Behavioural Therapy style of treatment for Bipolar Disorder, especially in conjunction with the correct medication. You will learn to monitor changes in your mood, and understand how your thoughts interfere with your mood and behaviour. You will learn how to detect warning signs, and create a coping plan when your mood does change. It will also be important to develop a support network to assist you when your mood changes.
It is important to take note of how often your mood leads to mania, or depression, and how these moods interfere with your life. By encouraging regular monitoring of your mood, you will be able see at any time how you are progressing through your treatment, and with treatment over time, you will see your moods stabilise and your ability to cope improved.
How we have helped others: A case study
You might be interested in the following case study that we have put together from some of the other men and women who have had success following treatment of Bipolar Disorder.
Case Study – Jan
When Jan first came to our clinic, she was extremely depressed. However, this was following a period where she had spent all her savings, and was involved in long nights out drinking with people who she didn’t even know very well. Jan said that she felt guilty about what she had done, and said that she did not know why she kept ending up in these situations. Jan explained that her ‘high’ moods would just sneak up on her and that she would then do things that she would never normally do.
For Jan, this had been happening for a couple of years, gradually worsening. Jan was also experiencing some periods of depression. Jan was missing work and having trouble with her friends and family due to her mood changes.
During the first two sessions, Jan worked with one of our psychologists to better understand the difficulties that she was experiencing. The psychologist then provided Jan education about her difficulties and explained that about 1 in 50 people suffer from Bipolar Disorder in Australia. After increasing her recognition of her changes in mood, Jan and the Psychologist identified she had many unhelpful thoughts about her change in mood (E.g., when manic would think “I can do anything, and it will all be okay”, and when depressed, would think, “I can’t go out, this depression will flatten me”.). Together, Jan and her psychologist were able to increase her awareness of her changes in mood and triggers to mood change. Jan was able to identify her unhelpful thinking patterns and think in more helpful ways during her mood changes. Jan was able to gain great support from her family and friends.
Across a 6-month period, Jan was taking her medication regularly and coping with her mood changes in effective ways. She had support from her family, and they also had better knowledge of what was going on for her. Jan was able to sustain her employment, and was no longer having troubles with the law during her manic episodes. Jan reported that her life was far more stable and rewarding, without all the negative consequences she had been experiencing before.
How to get started
To get started with one of our clinical psychologists on the Gold Coast, please book your private consultation with one of our caring practice administration staff. Just phone (07) 5551 0330 or email us using the form on our Contact Us page linked here.