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Can a bipolar person live without medication?

My friend was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Can a bipolar person live without medication?

3 Answers

PsychiatristPsychiatrist
Sometimes. It depends on how severe the mood swings are. Some people with more mild symptoms are able to control them with careful attention to sleep cycles and overall self-care. Psychotherapy can also be helpful in learning how to manage mood swings and understand triggers. But anyone with significant Bipolar disorder, especially Bipolar I, will usually need
medication to be able to function at their best. Sometimes this is hard because people miss the "highs", or find an even mood "boring". But the highs and lows can both get terribly out of control.
Sure. Whether or not that life will be better or worse without medication depends on the nature of the condition.
Bipolar illness isn't usually considered a fatal disease, but there are a bunch of ways it can kill you. A lot depends upon how serious it is. Very mild bipolar illness might be annoying, but not a serious problem. I treat a lot of addicts and alcoholics, and bipolar illness greatly increases the likelihood of addiction, which itself is often itself a fatal disease. Committing suicide is vastly more likely if you're bipolar. Untreated, severe bipolar illness can make you crazy in a way indistinguishable from schizophrenia, and a lot of these folks become homeless unless they get proper care. Finally, many bipolar people are notorious for an explosive temper, which can get them into a load of trouble with their family and the law.