At Abilene our trained staff is prepared to help you heal through a variety of therapeutic methods. We’re dedicated to getting to know you, evaluating your situation, and learning how to best support you during your stay. At Abilene we will work with you to identify the best options for controlling your symptoms and starting you on the path towards living a happy, productive life.
Most people understand that there are good days and bad days. For people with bipolar disorder, these up and down moods occur in a cycle and over a continuum – good days are great days and bad days are the worst days ever. The cycle of bipolar disorder can leave you exhausted, hopeless, and frustrated.
While there is no cure for bipolar disorder, a number of new medications and treatment approaches have been successful at helping many individuals regain control of their lives. At Abilene, we’re ready to help you face your bipolar disorder, teach you new coping skills, and help you learn to cope with the stresses you experience. We want you to see the future as a bright and hopeful place.
Why Should You Consider Treatment at Abilene?
At Abilene, we pride ourselves on conducting complete evaluations throughout your stay to identify the best treatment strategies for your needs. We understand that others in your life may not understand your different moods, thoughts, and behaviors, which may make loved ones avoid them. When this occurs, many blame themselves.
At Abilene we teach strategies to re-establish these relationships, expand your social support and reclaim your life. We offer all levels of treatment including inpatient, partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient and traditional outpatient therapies.
Abilene Behavioral Health believes that your symptoms are just a part of who you are. The symptoms may alter the way you view the world, yourself and others, but does not change the real you. We want to learn about the other characteristics you possess that make up the complete person. While our staff is thoroughly trained to help you heal, we recognize that you are our richest source of information regarding your recovery.
Program Philosophy and Benefits
At Abilene, we strongly believe that through our safe environment and supportive staff, you will find comfort in the healing process while you explore the problems in your life. Our team is led by nurturing staff who reinforce your treatment successes as you move through your recovery. We understand how hard it is to give up patterns of behavior and emotions that have begun to feel normal to you, even if they are unhealthy.
Most importantly you will learn that bipolar disorder is not a result of a defect or flaw; it’s a serious mental illness that requires the inpatient services of Abilene Behavioral Health. We will work hard to treat every aspect of your being using our holistic treatment approach.
Types of Therapy Used to Treat Bipolar Disorders at Abilene
Bipolar disorder is a chronic condition resulting in the need for life-long treatment and frequent monitoring to ensure your treatment protocol remains effective. The majority of people who have bipolar disorder, when properly medicated and treated are able to live happy, healthy and fulfilling lives.
When you come to us, you will undergo a complete assessment with a heavy focus on medication evaluation in order to begin medication management as soon as possible to better allow you to participate in your recovery. Medications that may be used include the following classes:
Mood stabilizers – Often the first medication used, these drugs have proven effective for treating symptoms of bipolar disorder. Anti-seizure medications may help level out extreme mood states.
Antipsychotics – Anti-psychotic medication can be used for treating severe manic episodes that don’t respond to mood stabilizers.
Benzodiazepines – These anti-anxiety medications may be used initially to reduce anxiety and will be tapered down as you learn more appropriate coping strategies.
At Abilene we also use psychotherapy and medication management to treat bipolar disorder.
We offer several types of psychotherapy to help you learn to control your moods. We use cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), rational emotive behavioral therapy (REBT), group therapy, and family therapies. Each type of therapy focuses upon teaching new ways of coping with stress, the consequences of living with bipolar disorder, and ways to tolerate normal variations in mood.
Cognitive behavioral therapy focuses on correcting inaccurate thoughts by helping you to re-evaluate your thoughts and create a more positive way of thinking. CBT is also used to help individuals to be able to identify and alter specific patterns of thinking that accompany their mood swings.
Rational emotive behavioral therapy puts you firmly in the driver’s seat for your recovery based upon the idea that you control what you think and will learn to control your actions based upon correcting faulty thought patterns.
Group therapy can be especially helpful for individuals struggling with bipolar disorder as it allows the opportunity to openly discuss struggles and challenges in a safe and supportive environment of peers. Process-based groups often target one topic at a time, such as medication compliance, and allow a frank discussion about the topic among the group. Psychoeducational groups are used to teach a group about a specific topic related to recovery, such as relapse triggers.
We recognize the importance of family in your life. Family sessions will be used to re-form relationships and broken bonds caused by bipolar disorder. During family therapy, we’ll provide family members the opportunity to discuss their feelings about your illness. We’ll work to educate your loved ones about bipolar disorder and connect them with outside resources.
We offer non-traditional experiential treatments in order to treat the whole person: mind, body and spirit. Experiential treatments may include:
- Art therapy
- Yoga therapy
- Recreation programs
- A.A. and N.A.
- Anger management
Continuing Care – What Comes Next?
At Abilene we proudly offer a continuum of services that provides several levels of care. When it comes time for discharge from our inpatient program, we’ll often recommend that you join our Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP) or our Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP), which allows for continuity of care.
Some individuals may discharge to home, in which case we will connect you with our outpatient clinic. Our outpatient clinic accepts walk-in clients and is used as a next step for those coming from one of our other programs to help them continue the progress they’ve made.
Don’t let your bipolar disorder prevent you from living life to the fullest. We can help teach you to control your symptoms and provide you the care you need when you need it most. You can trust us to monitor your needs so as to provide the highest levels of care.
If you or someone you love is struggling with bipolar disorder, please call Abilene for a free, confidential assessment. We’ll be able to help you decide what happens next.