Bipolar Affective Disorder Support, Assessment and Treatment For Adults

If you have bipolar disorder, you’re likely to experience manic or hypomanic episodes (feeling high) and depressive episodes (feeling low). With proper treatment and support, people with bipolar disorder can live a life chosen by them and not their condition.

How can we support you?

As a rainbow is diverse, so will be your care with Rainbow Medical. Your assessment and treatment planning can occur in the same appointment, but, likewise, you may want more time. In collaboration with your Psychiatrist, you lead the service you receive. You can find out about our core values by clicking here.

Being frank is one of our core values; bipolar disorder is complex and it’s not easy for either you, the patient, or your family. It’s also not easy for psychiatrists. This is why we have to work together in collaboration to treat this condition.  We all experience feelings of depression from time-to-time. Depression can be very helpful – it alerts us to recognise and deal with problems in our lives. But in bipolar depression, these feelings are intense. They go on for longer and make it difficult or impossible to deal with the normal goings on of life, and you will notice some, or all of these things:

Depression

  • Feel sad or hopeless.
  • Be agitated and restless.
  • Have suicidal thoughts.
  • Unable to enjoy things.
  • Feel useless.
  • You can’t think positively or hopefully.
  • Concentrating is hard.
  • It’s hard to start or finish things – even everyday chores.
  • You cry a lot – or feel like you want to cry but can’t.
  • You avoid other people.

You may only have some of these symptoms or many. A more comprehensive resource for symptoms can be found on the Royal College of Psychiatrists website. 

When you are manic, You feel intensely well, energetic or optimistic – so much so that it affects your judgement. You may start to believe strange things about yourself, and make bad decisions.

Like depression, it can make it difficult or impossible to deal with day-to-day life. 

When you are manic, you may notice that you are:

  • Intensely happy and excited.
  • Very irritable when other people around you don’t see the reasons for your optimistic ideas.
  • Feel more important.
  • Hear voices that others can not.
  • Full of energy and very active.
  • Unable to sleep.
  • Have grandiose and unrealistic ideas.

You may only have some of these symptoms or many. A more comprehensive resource for symptoms can be found on the Royal College of Psychiatrists website.

Depending on the way you experience these episodes (also could moods) and how severely they affect you, your consultant psychiatrist may diagnose you with a particular type of bipolar disorder. These mood swings (or episodes) can last several weeks or months and are far beyond the emotional ups and downs that most of us experience

There are different types of bipolar disorder and you will have mood swings that can last up to several weeks or months. These mood swings or episodes can be:

High mood or mania: You’ll feel extremely happy, elated, and become very overactive. You may develop very grandiose, delusional ideas about yourself and your abilities.

Low mood or depression: You’ll feel intensely low, depressed and even despairing.

Hypomanic: Your mood is high, but not so extreme as in mania

Mixed: You have a mixture of mania and depression. You may feel very depressed, but also have the restlessness and overactivity of mania.

You will be seen by a Consultant Psychiatrist. Only Consultant Psychiatrists can give a diagnosis of Bipolar disorder. 

As part of the diagnostic process, we will include an assessment of your needs, coexisting conditions, social, familial, and educational or occupational circumstances and physical health. This appointment will typically last an hour. 

If you are diagnosed with Bipolar disorder, or another mental health condition, you and your Consultant Psychiatrist will meet to discuss a personalised treatment plan. Because Co-production and person-centred care are our core values, we will discuss, with you, non-pharmacological treatment in combination with medication. Medication will only be discussed with your Consultant Psychiatrist. Therapeutic approaches will be discussed and include psychoeducation, strategies to manage mood fluctuations, relapse prevention and psychological support. 

You will receive a report, written by your Consultant Psychiatrist, which will include your diagnosis and treatment plan.

Whether you are supported by a Counsellor or meeting your Psychiatrist, we believe in your ability to face, experience, and survive the unknown, and that your experience improves your own care. We will conduct reviews of your treatment plan together, in collaboration. 

We will always be frank: without openness and transparency, co-production cannot work.; trialling medication and getting the right dosage level (which is also known as titration) typically involves more than one appointment.

Unexpected mood or behaviour changes that are associated with bipolar disorder do cause distress, making life challenging. Living with bipolar disorder is not all about medication, what’s more important for the journey is patience, courage and perseverance.

Dr. Josep Vilanova

Consultant Psychiatrist

Understanding Bipolar disorder is an important part of helping and being kinder to ourselves. We recommend you visit the Royal College of Psychiatrists website by clicking here. The NHS and NICE also have comprehensive resources on understanding and treating Bipolar disorder.

The Royal College of Psychiatrists recommended resources:

Bipolar UK

Bipolar UK provide support, advice and information for people with bipolar disorder, their friends and carers.

Peer support line: 07591375544 (ansaphone and call back)

Bipolar Fellowship Scotland

Bipolar Fellowship Scotland provide information, support and advice for people affected by bipolar disorder and all who care for them. They promote self-help throughout Scotland and informs and educates about the illness and the organisation.

Phone: 0141 560 2050

Side by Side – MIND online community

Side by Side is a supportive online community where you can feel at home talking about your mental health and connect with others who understand what you are going through.

MIND Helplines

MIND provide several helplines to discuss mental health.

Samaritans

Samaritans provide confidential, non-judgmental support 24 hours a day by telephone and email for anyone who is worried, upset, or suicidal.

Phone: 116 123

Email: [email protected].

NICE recommends these resources:

A referral is not required initially. However, if a diagnosis of Bipolar disorder is likely, we will let you know when to request a GP referral.

Rainbow Medical psychiatric assessments are conducted by a consultant psychiatrist.

A Psychiatric assessment lasts approximately 1 hour and costs £420. You can find our full Fees and Cancellation policy by clicking here.

The first meeting with your Psychiatrist and the Diagnoses takes approximately 1 hour.

You can expect to receive your psychiatric assessment/report in 4 days, from the date of your consultation with a consultant psychiatrist.

On average, all our patients have received their reports in two days.

Your report will include, where relevant:

  • Your Background information and History
  • A risk assessment
  • The Diagnostic tools used and their results
  • A Clinical impression
  • Your diagnosis
  • Clinical and Holistic treatment Recommendations
  • A costed treatment plan which includes a two-week cooling-off period.