Bipolar Disorder Care Built on Consistency
Bipolar disorder is defined by episodes: periods of depression alternating with periods of abnormally elevated mood or energy. A careful history of energy, sleep, and mood patterns, not just current symptoms, is what separates the right treatment from the wrong one.
That distinction matters because people with bipolar II usually seek help for depression, not for hypomania, which can feel like finally having energy. The result is that bipolar disorder is frequently misdiagnosed as unipolar depression for years, and antidepressants prescribed alone can make things worse.
Bipolar I or Bipolar II
The 2 types differ in how high the highs go, and that changes the treatment plan.
It can look like
In bipolar I, the elevated periods reach full mania: at least a week of expansive or irritable mood with racing thoughts, little need for sleep, pressured speech, and risky decisions, sometimes requiring hospitalization.
In bipolar II, the highs are hypomania, shorter and less severe, while the depressions tend to dominate the course of illness.
Treatment
How Bipolar Disorder Is Treated
The foundation is mood stabilization, not episode-by-episode reaction. Lithium remains the most studied medication in psychiatry for preventing recurrence and is one of the few with evidence for reducing suicide risk. Lamotrigine is a first-line option for preventing bipolar depression. Atypical antipsychotics such as quetiapine, lurasidone, and cariprazine carry FDA approvals for bipolar depression, and valproate is an established option for mood stabilization.
All of these are non-controlled medications, which means bipolar disorder sits fully within Siggy’s prescribing scope. Several require monitoring: lithium levels, kidney and thyroid function, and metabolic panels for antipsychotics. That is not a reason to avoid them. It is a reason to have a prescriber who actually schedules the labs.
Antidepressants are used cautiously in bipolar disorder, generally only alongside a mood stabilizer, because alone they can trigger mania or rapid cycling. If you have been treated for depression and the medications kept making you feel worse or wired, say so at intake. It is a clinically important clue.
What the first weeks look like
With Siggy
How Siggy Treats Bipolar Disorder
Evaluation by a licensed prescriber with a full mood-episode history, a treatment plan built on mood stabilizers appropriate to your pattern, and lab monitoring coordinated through standard local lab draws with results reviewed at scheduled follow-ups. Consistency is the treatment in bipolar care, so visits are regular rather than as-needed. Therapy and routine-stabilizing approaches are recommended alongside medication, and if your situation involves active mania or a safety risk, we will be direct: it requires a higher level of care than telehealth provides.
Structured intake
Answer clinically structured questions with Siggy, on your own time. Free, private, and reviewed by a clinician.
Video visit in days
Meet a licensed prescriber via video — days from intake, not months. Diagnosis and plan, decided together.
Treatment, same day
If medication is right, it goes to your pharmacy the same day, with follow-ups scheduled inside the adjustment window.
FAQs.
- Can bipolar disorder really be managed by telehealth?
- Stable, ongoing management, yes: medication, labs at local draw sites, regular video follow-ups. Acute mania or crisis needs in-person or emergency care, and we say so plainly.
- Do you prescribe lithium?
- Yes. Lithium is non-controlled and squarely within our scope, with level monitoring built into your plan.
- I was told I have depression, but antidepressants make me worse. What does that mean?
- It can be one signal of an unrecognized bipolar pattern, among other possibilities. Bring the specifics to your evaluation; the medication history is diagnostic gold.
- Will I be on medication for life?
- Bipolar disorder is typically a long-term condition, and maintenance treatment substantially reduces relapse. Decisions about duration are made with your prescriber based on your episode history, never by default.
In crisis? Call or text 988. Siggy is not an emergency service.