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Bipolar Disorder/alternative to medication for bi-polar
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Question
Hi, I realize you are an MD but do you know or have heard of any treatments besides medication for bi-polar? My 13 year old has been on ADHD medication(6 years) and Abilify (4 years) and has outgrown the Abilify. I really don't want to keep loading on other meds but I do not know what else is out there.
Hi . . .
There are a few non-pharmacologic treatments that help medications work better, but that do not have the potency to substitute for medications. Bright light therapy helps depression. Omega-3 fatty acids help with both depression and mania. exercise helps depression. But these treatments cannot take the place of conventional medical treatment.
Best regards . . .
Ivan
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Answers by Expert:
Ivan Goldberg, M.D.
Expertise
I am a psychiatrist/psychopharmacologist with many years of expereince in treating individuals with depressions, manic-depression (Bipolar Disorder), other mood disorders,. I am especially interested in the psychopharmacologic treatment of individuals with so called "treatment-resistant" syndromes.
Experience
I have been on the staff of the National Institute of Mental Health, Columbia's College of Physicians and Surgeons, and the Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center. I am currently in full-time private practice in New York City.
A.B. Johns Hopkins University
M.D. N.Y.U. College of Medicine
I am the creator of Depression Central:http://www.psycom.net/depression.central.html
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