Campbell (2003) wrote that “Vanessa Sawyer can’t pinpoint what pushed her over the edge. But she recalls the day her family made the difficult decision to commit her to a psychiatric ward. ‘I was at my parents’ home in Sacramento,’ she recalls. ‘My mind was racing. It was near Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday. Suddenly I started telling everyone that I was the reincarnation of Rev. King. After my sister, Valerie, took me to the hospital, I saw a birth announcement on a bulletin board. I thought, I can die now. By this time, I believed that I was the Messiah who had come to save the children, and that the little newborn was here to take my place’” (p. 144). More than two million Americans suffer from some form of bipolar disorder, a persistent, severe, sometimes lethal, and lifelong illness (Campbell, 2003). Vanessa Sawyer, like many victims of this illness, struggled for fifteen years before climbing out of the deep dark pit. Primary care physicians play a critical role in recognizing, diagnosing, and treating this disorder. Many symptoms of bipolar disorder go either unrecognized or victims and families are in a state of denial.

Cognitive therapy should be used, in addition to mood stabilizers, to teach patients skills to better cope with bipolar disorder and maintain better control of their symptoms (Miller, 2003). Although mood stabilizers are utilized to prevent relapses and recurrences, a significant number of patients aren’t protected by these medications (Miller, 2003). Some recent studies have shown that psychotherapy can help patients recognize early symptoms to their relapses (Miller, 2003). These indicators may precede full bipolar syndrome by weeks, so early detection and intervention may keep these symptoms mild and manageable. A controlled trial demonstrated that patients in cognitive therapy had significantly fewer bipolar episodes, days in bipolar episodes, and number of admissions for these episodes compared with the patients in a control group receiving the same minimal psychiatric care without the cognitive therapy (Miller, 2003). Additionally, the cognitive therapy group had fewer mood symptoms, functioned at a higher social level, and had less fluctuation with manic symptoms (Miller, 2003). Cognitive therapy has beneficial effects when used in conjunction with mood stabilizers.

The illness doesn’t disappear in spite of disbelief, worse it compounds as it prevents the patient from getting needed help. Upon presentation, primary care physicians must do a better job of diagnosing symptoms and providing safe long-term treatments in order to achieve the goal of managing this lifelong illness.

Treating patients with bipolar disorder represents a clinical challenge, but foundational mood stabilizers have demonstrated benefits and are a vital part in the overall treatment plan. S

Some topics in this essay:
Keck Susman, Vanessa Sawyer, Rev King, Bipolar Disorder, bipolar disorder, King Jr’s, primary care, cognitive therapy, primary care physicians, care physicians, miller 2003, mood stabilizers, bipolar illness, lifelong illness, major depressive disorder, patients bipolar, manning 2003, recognition bipolar disorder, specific bipolar illness, managing lifelong illness,