At New Directions Mental Health, our clinicians have helped countless people across southwestern Pennsylvania learn to manage life with bipolar disorder. We offer individualized care plans that can include psychotherapy, prescription medication, support building healthy routines, family therapy, and other resources as needed.
If you or someone you know could benefit from bipolar disorder treatment in the Pittsburgh area, call 724.374.7414 or fill out a brief form to get started. Our intake team is happy to answer questions about our clinics, insurance coverage, or specific providers.
Signs & Symptoms of Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar disorder involves significant mood shifts between mania and depression. Someone will have a period of intense energy and impulsivity (mania) and then an extended stretch of sadness and low energy (depression). These episodes can last weeks or months, sometimes without a clear cause, and the highs and lows tend to be far more pronounced than typical mood swings.
Symptoms of manic episodes include:
- Impulsive or risk-taking behavior
- Increased energy or agitation
- Racing thoughts
- Being easily distracted
- Reduced need for sleep
- An inflated sense of self-confidence
- Feeling unusually alert, jumpy, or wired
Symptoms of depressive episodes include:
- Feeling sad, empty, or hopeless
- Suicidal ideation
- Fatigue and low energy
- Feelings of guilt, shame, or worthlessness
- Trouble thinking or concentrating
- Changes in eating or sleeping patterns
If you are feeling suicidal or experiencing a mental health crisis, please reach out for immediate support by contacting your local emergency services, visiting your local emergency room, or calling/texting the National Crisis Hotline at 988.
What Bipolar Disorder Isn’t
Media portrayals often depict bipolar disorder as rapid swings between extreme highs and lows within a single day, or as constant, unmanageable mania. However, that’s often not the reality. For many, low mood can persist for weeks or months, and for those with bipolar II, “manic” periods may be relatively mild, involving just a slightly elevated mood. As with most mental health conditions, everyone’s experience with bipolar disorder will be unique.
With appropriate medication, someone’s mood can stabilize significantly, and most people who receive professional support are able to function well in daily life, work, and relationships.
Types of Bipolar Disorder
Experts have divided bipolar disorder into categories depending on symptom severity and the length of cycles:
- Bipolar I: The more severe form, with manic episodes lasting at least seven days and depressive episodes lasting at least two weeks. Episodes severe enough to require hospitalization may still meet this diagnosis even without meeting typical criteria for duration of episodes.
- Bipolar II: Involves a pattern of depressive episodes alongside hypomanic episodes, milder periods of elevated mood. People with bipolar II are sometimes initially misdiagnosed with major depressive disorder.
- Cyclothymia: Periods of elevated and lowered mood that don’t reach the severity threshold for a bipolar disorder diagnosis.
- Rapid cycling bipolar disorder: Four or more manic, hypomanic, or depressive episodes within a 12-month span.
- Bipolar disorder with mixed features: A specifier used when someone experiences symptoms of mania and depression at the same time.
- Bipolar disorder with psychotic features: Some people with bipolar disorder can have disorganized thinking, delusions, or hallucinations as part of their symptom profile. This could lead to grandiose thinking during a manic episode, or feelings of persecution during depression.
Navigating Bipolar Disorder? New Directions Mental Health Can Help
Our clinicians are here to support our neighbors across the Pittsburgh area with all types of mental health concerns, including bipolar disorder. Reach out today and find the compassionate care you deserve.
What Causes Bipolar Disorder?
Bipolar disorder develops from multiple contributing factors. While the exact cause isn’t fully understood, genetics, biology, and environment play a role.
Causes and risk factors for bipolar disorder include:¹
- Genetics: Having a parent or sibling with bipolar disorder raises the likelihood of developing it yourself. No single gene is responsible, though the condition does tend to run in families.
- Biology: People with bipolar disorder often show differences in certain brain regions and how different areas of the brain connect and communicate.
- Environmental factors: Trauma or an extended stressful period can trigger the initial onset of bipolar disorder.
- Behavioral causes: For those already at genetic risk, substance use and alcohol consumption are among the strongest triggers for a first episode.
How Is Bipolar Disorder Treated?
Managing bipolar disorder typically involves a combination of medication and therapy, and many people also benefit from peer support or group therapy alongside others navigating similar experiences.
Medication
Mood stabilizing medications are commonly prescribed to help manage manic and hypomanic episodes, while antidepressants may be added to address depressive symptoms. Several antipsychotic medications are also FDA-approved for treating manic and hypomanic symptoms.²
Therapy
CBT and other therapies can help people learn to navigate the highs and lows of bipolar disorder. Interpersonal and social rhythm therapy is also often used, focused on stabilizing daily routines around sleep, diet, and exercise.²
Peer Support
Connecting with others who understand the realities of bipolar disorder can meaningfully support symptom management. Peer support groups offer a space to share experiences, ask questions, and learn from others navigating similar circumstances.²
While some New Directions Mental Health locations may offer group therapy for bipolar disorder, we don’t currently run a structured peer support program.
What’s the Long-Term Outlook for Someone with Bipolar Disorder?
Left untreated, bipolar disorder symptoms tend to worsen over time.³ Depressive and manic episodes can become longer and more severe, contributing to difficulties at work or school, substance use, financial strain, and relationship challenges. The encouraging news is that bipolar disorder generally responds well to treatment. One study found that nearly 60% of people receiving consistent support recovered and maintained stability.⁴
Why Choose New Directions Mental Health for Bipolar Disorder Treatment
Whatever you’re facing, our clinics across southwestern Pennsylvania offer comprehensive bipolar disorder care. Our clinics offer therapists with varied specialties, robust psychiatric support, and additional specialists for ongoing care.
Here are just a few benefits of treatment with New Directions:
- In-network with most insurance plans, including Medicare and Medicaid, helping keep out-of-pocket costs manageable.
- Convenient clinic locations across the greater Pittsburgh area, with telehealth available from most of our providers.
- Support from a skilled therapist to develop coping tools and routines that help balance mood and maintain stability.
- Psychiatric providers who can prescribe and monitor medication, adjusting as needed over time.
- Ongoing support for as long as you need it, including help connecting to community resources and group therapy.
Get Bipolar Disorder Treatment at New Directions Mental Health
If you or someone in your life is struggling with symptoms related to bipolar disorder, seeking treatment promptly is key to gaining control over symptoms. Start with a quick call to our intake team, who can walk you through your insurance coverage and any copays before scheduling your first appointment with a therapist, psychiatric provider, or both.
Call 724.374.7414 or fill out a quick form to learn how we support our neighbors in Pittsburgh achieve their mental health goals and find the healing they deserve.
FAQs About Bipolar Disorder
What are five signs of bipolar disorder?
Here are five common signs of bipolar disorder, especially during mania:
- Feeling euphoric with high energy and little need for sleep
- Making unrealistic, larger-than-life plans
- Impulsive or risky behaviors
- Feeling unusually powerful or important
- Sudden mood shifts, from elation to anger in an instant
Is bipolar disorder hard to live with?
Yes, without treatment, bipolar disorder can be difficult to live with. Untreated bipolar disorder often creates challenges in relationships, work, or school, and can lead to substance use as a coping mechanism. With medication and therapy, though, many people with bipolar disorder go on to live balanced, fulfilling lives.
How do I support someone with bipolar disorder?
Here are a few ways to support a loved one dealing with bipolar disorder:
- Learn about the condition: Understanding mania and hypomania helps you prepare for seasons with more intensive episodes.
- Listen to understand: Offer curiosity rather than minimizing their experience, even when it’s hard to relate to.
- Support professional care: Help with appointment logistics or transportation when needed.
- Address harmful behavior directly: If something during a manic episode has hurt you, share specifically how it affected you rather than dancing around it.
- Consider couples or family therapy: Working through challenges together can build stronger tools for both of you.
At what age does bipolar disorder typically start?
Bipolar I most often emerges between ages 12 and 24, with bipolar II typically developing somewhat later. A bipolar diagnosis before age 12 is uncommon.⁵
Bipolar Disorder Insights
To learn more about bipolar disorder and treatment options, check out these blogs.
Sources:
- Bipolar Disorder. (2026). Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/9294-bipolar-disorder
- Bipolar Disorder: Diagnosis & Treatment. (2026). Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/bipolar-disorder/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20355961
- Ellis, Rachel. (2024). Long-Term Effects of Bipolar Disorder. WebMD. https://www.webmd.com/bipolar-disorder/long-term-effects-of-bipolar-disorder
- Geddes, J. R., & Miklowitz, D. J. (2013). Treatment of bipolar disorder. Lancet (London, England), 381(9878), 1672–1682. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(13)60857-0
- Baldessarini, R. J., Tondo, L., Vazquez, G. H., Undurraga, J., et. al. (2012). Age at onset versus family history and clinical outcomes in 1,665 international bipolar-I disorder patients. World psychiatry : official journal of the World Psychiatric Association (WPA), 11(1), 40–46. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wpsyc.2012.01.006