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Who Are The Professionals Who Treat Bipolar Disorder?

Question: Who are the professionals who treat bipolar disorder?

Answer: Bipolar disorder is often treated by a team of professionals which might include a psychiatrist, who is someone with a medical degree who's trained to diagnose psychiatric illness and also to prescribe medications.

Bipolar can also be treated by a psychologist who's trained in making diagnosis, typically doesn't prescribe medications, but is trained to give certain kinds of talk therapies -- particularly one called cognitive behavioral therapy, which seems to work well for bipolar patients.

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And then in many cases, bipolar patients may also see someone else who can provide talk therapy, like a social worker. So this is really an illness where very often there's a team approach to treating the illness.

Next: How Is It Decided Whether Treatment For Bipolar Disorder Should Occur In A Hospital Or On An Outpatient Basis?

Previous: What Are The Most Common Treatments For Bipolar Disorder?

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