Posted by SLS on October 30, 2004, at 13:27:42
In reply to Should everyone who has bi-polar be catergorized??, posted by Kari1 on October 30, 2004, at 12:52:50
Determining what subtype of bipolar disorder one has can be helpful when choosing treatments. For instance, lithium is the preferred mood stabilizer for bipolar I, while Depakote is preferred for bipolar II. It is good also to understand the course of the illness that one can expect. Manias do not become that severe when one has bipolar II. If one is a rapid-cycler, it is often necessary to combine mood-stabilizers. Lamictal is often helpful in these situations.
Things can be a bit more complex than this, but categorization of bipolar subtype can be a good place to start, and might ultimately provide a guideline for future treatment options.
Technical Descriptions:Bipolar I: http://www.mentalhealth.com/dis1/p21-md02.html
Bipolar II: http://www.mentalhealth.com/dis1/p21-md05.html
- Scott
poster:SLS
thread:409214
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20041029/msgs/409222.html