Treatment-resistant bipolar depression occurs when patients diagnosed with bipolar disorder don’t get the help they need from traditional treatments like antidepressant medications. Unfortunately, many people living with bipolar disorders don’t stay in remission after a period of time with treatment or don’t respond well to traditional treatment, resulting in a diagnosis of treatment-resistant bipolar depression.
When a person is diagnosed with treatment-resistant bipolar depression, it means that they have a bipolar disorder but aren’t responding well to traditional treatment methods like prescription antidepressant medications. Or, are struggling with adverse reactions to these medications. So, people who are living with treatment-resistant bipolar disorder aren’t getting the symptom relief they need with traditional treatments alone. In most cases, treatment-resistant bipolar depression isn’t diagnosed until a person has tried a number or a combination of prescription antidepressant medications without showing good results first.
There isn’t a specific diagnostic criterion for treatment-resistant bipolar depression. But, people who may be considered to have treatment-resistant bipolar depression may share some of the same symptoms including:
People who are living with treatment-resistant bipolar depression may feel like there is no way out. However, there are treatments available to people living with this condition including ketamine infusion therapy. Ketamine is an FDA-approved therapy that is proven to help people who are living with treatment-resistant mood disorders including treatment-resistant bipolar depression.
Ketamine treatment used in the treatment of treatment-resistant bipolar disorder is a non-invasive approach to reducing symptoms associated with treatment-resistant bipolar disorder. Typically, ketamine medication is introduced into the body intravenously at a low dose. This is believed to change the way neurotransmitters work in the brain, resulting in reduced symptoms of bipolar disorder. This results in long-lasting results that people diagnosed with this condition don’t experience utilizing traditional treatments alone.
If you’re looking for a way to manage bipolar disorder symptoms and traditional treatments aren’t working to give you the results you need, you may be a good candidate for ketamine treatment. Ketamine therapy sessions at Delray Brain Science are available on an outpatient basis and have a low risk for temporary side effects and patients can go back to their daily responsibilities shortly after treatment sessions. Learn more about what to expect from ketamine infusion therapy at Delray Brain Science and reach out to us today to find out if you’re a good candidate for this type of therapy for treatment-resistant bipolar depression.