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- Bipolar Treatment in Fort Lauderdale, FL | PHP and IOP
Bipolar Treatment in Fort Lauderdale, FL | PHP and IOP
Florida Addiction and Recovery Center treats bipolar disorder for adults in Fort Lauderdale, at either a partial hospitalization or intensive outpatient level. Treatment combines psychiatric medication management with therapy and daily structure. Most people in both programs live in our on-site community housing for the length of treatment; attending from home is available if your situation calls for it.
If you are trying to work out whether outpatient care is enough, or you are calling about a family member, call (954) 677-8787 and we will talk it through. The 24-hour helpline is (877) 800-REHAB.
Bipolar I, bipolar II, and why the distinction matters
Both involve episodes of depression alternating with elevated mood, and the difference is in the elevated end. Bipolar I includes full manic episodes, which can involve losing touch with reality and often require hospitalization. Bipolar II involves hypomania, which is less severe and frequently goes unrecognized for years because it can feel like a good stretch rather than a symptom.
This is not a technicality. People with bipolar II are commonly treated for depression alone, sometimes for a long time, because the hypomanic periods never get reported. Antidepressants without a mood stabilizer can destabilize someone with bipolar disorder, which is one reason an accurate picture matters before medication decisions get made.
Who outpatient treatment suits
- You have a bipolar diagnosis and your current medication is not holding, so episodes keep breaking through
- You are stepping down from a hospital stay and are not ready for a monthly appointment
- You suspect bipolar II but have only ever been treated for depression
- You are managing bipolar disorder alongside drinking or drug use, which is common and complicates both
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- Bipolar Treatment in Fort Lauderdale, FL | PHP and IOP
Bipolar Treatment in Fort Lauderdale, FL | PHP and IOP
Bipolar disorder is one of the conditions where medication is usually central rather than optional, and where getting it right takes iteration. Mood stabilizers and other medications are adjusted based on how you actually respond, which is difficult to judge from a fifteen minute appointment every few weeks.
The advantage of a structured outpatient program is frequency. The clinical team sees you most days, so a medication change gets observed as it takes effect rather than assessed from your recollection at the next appointment.
Therapy alongside medication
Medication addresses the biology. It does not teach anyone to recognize the early signs of an episode, or repair what previous episodes did to their relationships and work. That is what the therapy side is for.
- Cognitive behavioral therapy, working on recognizing early warning signs and what to do when you spot them
- Routine and sleep, because disrupted sleep is both a symptom and a trigger, and stabilizing it is real clinical work rather than lifestyle advice
- Group sessions with other people managing mood disorders
- Individual counseling with a member of the clinical team
- Family involvement, because families often spot an episode building before the person does
Bipolar disorder and substance use
Substance use is common with bipolar disorder, and the two feed each other. Alcohol and stimulants can trigger episodes, disrupt sleep, and interfere with mood stabilizers. Meanwhile the episodes themselves drive use, whether that is drinking through a depressive stretch or the impulsivity that comes with mania.
Treating one and leaving the other untouched rarely holds. Our co-occurring disorders approach puts both in the same treatment plan with the same clinical team, which is the part of our work we are most confident in.
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- Bipolar Treatment in Fort Lauderdale, FL | PHP and IOP
Bipolar Treatment in Fort Lauderdale, FL | PHP and IOP
A partial hospitalization program is the more structured option, running 9:00am to 2:30pm, Monday through Saturday. Most people in our PHP live in our on-site community housing for the length of the program. It suits people stabilizing after an episode or a hospital stay.
An intensive outpatient program runs three hours a day, Monday through Saturday, with day and evening options, which leaves more of your week free. Like PHP, IOP is usually paired with our on-site community housing, though attending from home is available for people who need that flexibility. That works once things are steadier or if you are holding down work.
For someone stabilizing after a manic episode, a predictable environment with a regular sleep schedule and other people around is not a small detail, which is part of why community housing is the standard arrangement here rather than an optional extra.
When outpatient is not enough
Outpatient treatment is not the right level of care during an acute manic episode with psychosis, or when someone is at immediate risk. Those situations need inpatient care, and we do not provide it.
If you are in immediate danger or thinking about harming yourself, call or text 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, or call 911. If you call us and this is the situation, we will help you get to the right place rather than putting you on a waiting list.
Serving Fort Lauderdale and Broward County
Our facility is on West Commercial Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale, and we treat adults from across Broward County, including Davie, Coconut Creek, Plantation, Pompano Beach, and Hollywood.
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- Bipolar Treatment in Fort Lauderdale, FL | PHP and IOP
Bipolar Treatment in Fort Lauderdale, FL | PHP and IOP
We verify insurance before you commit, so the coverage question is answered before treatment begins. See insurance options for the plans we work with, or contact us and we will call you.
One thing to know before you call. Our programs treat mental health conditions that occur alongside substance use. That is what this center is built to do, and it is what we do well. If your concern is bipolar disorder on its own and drinking or drug use is not part of the picture, we are not the right provider. Tell us on the first call and we will point you toward a mental health program that fits, rather than enrolling you into the wrong one.
Common questions
Can bipolar disorder be treated without medication?
For most people, medication is a central part of managing bipolar disorder, and therapy alone is unlikely to be sufficient. What that medication is, and at what dose, is a clinical decision made with you rather than handed to you.
I was diagnosed with depression, but I think it might be bipolar II. What now?
Say that on the first call. It changes what the assessment looks for. Bipolar II is frequently missed because hypomania does not feel like a symptom worth mentioning, and the treatment implications are significant.
Do you treat bipolar disorder if I am not using substances?
No. Our programs are built for people managing bipolar disorder and substance use together. If substance use is not part of your situation, a dedicated mental health provider is the better fit, and we will help you find one on the call rather than leaving you to start over.
How long will I be in the program?
It depends on where you are starting and how you respond. PHP and IOP are levels of care rather than fixed courses, and most people step down gradually rather than finishing on a set date. Your plan is reviewed as you go.
Florida Addiction and Recovery Center, 3601 W Commercial Blvd Ste 35, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309. Call (954) 677-8787.
