Lexa And Bipolar Disorder

Most people diagnosed with bipolar disorder need medication to help keep their symptoms stable, and people who take medications for this disorder are likely to get better faster if it is paired with therapy (Smith, Segal, & Segal, 2016). Therefore, one of the first things I would address with Lexa is educating her about medications used for patients with bipolar disorder, discussing the pros and cons, and refer her to a psychiatrist so that she could begin the process of getting medication. I could even help her call to make an appointment in a therapy session if that would be helpful to her, or check in with her the following week to see how it went if she wished to make it on her own. My additional first priorities in working with Lexa would be to build a very strong rapport in the beginning sessions, check about the severity and frequency of her self-harm, and check to see if she is having any suicidal thoughts. Based off of the information that we already know about Lexa there are several issues that need to be addressed in the course of therapy. Lexa’s depressive and manic episodes both need to be addressed. When she is in a manic episode she …show more content…
She has described it as almost an addiction, once the thought enters her mind to do it she usually cannot stop thinking about it until she has done it. She does it both when she is in depressive and in manic episodes. She said that when she is in a manic episode and her thoughts are racing that the pain helps to center and calm her thoughts down. She feels like she is more in control. When she is in a depressive episode she will sometimes feel a strong sense of apathy, she says she feels completely blank and detached from everything. Other times when she is in a depressive episode she feels completely overwhelmed by how much self-hatred and hopelessness she feels. In both cases, the self-harm helps her to focus what she’s feeling into one centralized part of her