It can be a bit confusing to distinguish between psychology and neurology. This is because these “ologies” deal with matters concerning the brain.
However, with this quick tip, it should not be easy to tell one from the other. Remember this: neurology mainly deals with the nervous system and medical conditions that affect it. On the other hand, psychology focuses on human behavior and the mind.
However, what can make things confusing is that, in some cases, medical conditions that psychologists or psychiatrists treat are also treated by neurologists.
Here we look at bipolar disorder and answer the common question do neurologists treat bipolar disorder?
Do Neurologists Treat Bipolar Disorder?
No, neurologists often do not play a role in either diagnosing or treating bipolar disorder. Most of the time, diagnosis and treatment for bipolar disorder are handled by mental health specialists.
For some context, primary care practitioners are general medical doctors who have basic mental health knowledge. They often provide basic assessments and medications for more common mental health problems such as depression or anxiety.
However, for both common and uncommon mental health problems such as bipolar disorder, they would refer you to a mental health specialist for diagnosis, treatment, and care.
Who Treats Bipolar Disorder?
Usually, psychiatrists are the ones who provide diagnosis and treatment for bipolar disease. That is because they are the best qualified mental health specialists who know the specific medications for each patient with a mental condition.
Psychologists are other mental health specialists who can provide treatment and care for bipolar disorder. They treat bipolar disease through psychotherapy or other forms of talk therapy and help patients develop a coping method to prevent and manage symptoms of the mental condition.
Social Workers and Bipolar Disorder
As psychologists, social workers treat and provide care for bipolar disorder patients through psychotherapy and other talk therapies. Some social workers have a professional doctorate in social work, while some are nonmedical doctors.
Now that we have shared with you the medical professionals that treat bipolar disorder let us tell you each type. There are three types of bipolar disorder, and what are they?
Types of Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar I Disorder – Bipolar I Disorder manifests as manic episodes lasting at least 1 week. Bipolar I can exhibit abnormal behavior capable of disrupting your life.
These abnormal behaviors can include depressive episodes that can last at least 2 weeks.
Bipolar II Disorder – Bipolar II Disorder shows more symptoms of depressive episodes than manic symptoms. Manic episodes often exhibited by this type of mental health condition are often hypomanic or less severe.
Cyclothymic Disorder – This type of bipolar disorder combines hypomanic and depressive bipolar disorder. Symptoms can last for at least 2 weeks.
However, unlike the first two bipolar disorders, Cyclothymic Disorder’s hypomanic and depressive symptoms do not meet the clinical requirements for a manic or depressive episode.
That’s it for this article. We hope that this article has answered your question if neurologists do treat bipolar disorders and the difference between neurologists and psychologists.