Alec Featured Video 1 Story Transcript

In addition to medication, you may better manage mood swings with a comprehensive approach that includes talk therapy, building a strong support network, tracking symptoms over time, and making healthy choices a habit. Your support system may include friends, family, or patient support groups who can help you stay consistent with your overall treatment.

My Mood Matters from VRAYLAR features articles, tools, and videos designed to help you reach achievable wellness goals as part of a comprehensive treatment approach to managing your bipolar I.

Partnering with Your Doctor

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Partnering With Your Doctor

Dr. Cerulli

Collaborating with your healthcare provider is so important.

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Dr. Theresa Cerulli Psychiatrist

DR. CERULLI:

The only way for me to know what's going on with my patients is from what they tell me. I like to tell my patients, “You're the expert on you and I'm an expert in the field in psychiatry. But it's the combination of both of us working together that is essential.” It's not or shouldn't be a hierarchy of decision making. It should be a collaboration and partnership.

Dr. Cerulli

To understand if someone's being adequately treated, I would ask them, “How are you managing with your symptoms? Like, walk me through a typical day for you.” I want to put myself in their shoes.

Dr. Cerulli

I might ask them about various aspects of what's going on in their lives to try to understand also functionally what impact what we're doing is having on their symptoms and their overall day.

Dr. Cerulli

For example, I ask about sleep, about their eating habits, certainly their mood symptoms and their ability to motivate to get through regular tasks in the day. Many people still experience symptoms of depression even when they're taking an antidepressant. There's no shame in recognizing that you still need more help and for the doctor to be able to offer more help.

Dr. Cerulli

I had a patient who had been on multiple antidepressant medications. The antidepressant, when she came to me in follow up, the antidepressant she was on at the time was giving her a partial response. It didn't feel like it made sense to switch her yet again. So this was a situation in which we – she and I – agreed together that adding on to what she was already taking made more sense.

Dr. Cerulli

It's also important to know that an add-on treatment could help in a range of patients. So, yes, some of those patients may have been the ones that have tried multiple antidepressants, but also it might be that an add-on is a good choice in helping people who are taking their first antidepressant, making some progress, getting a partial response. But there's still room for improvement.

Dr. Cerulli

It's important to address a partial response early with your doctor so that they can work with you to find an option that can hopefully then build on that progress.

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