Bipolar disorder brings shifts between manic or hypomanic highs and depressive lows that can disrupt sleep, work, and relationships. Our Oak Creek, WI psychiatric team provides accurate diagnosis, medication management, and therapy built around your specific symptoms and mood history. We track how you respond to treatment and adjust your plan based on what’s actually happening, not a fixed schedule. Schedule an evaluation today and start building toward steadier, more predictable moods.
What Is Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar disorder is a mood disorder that causes shifts between manic or hypomanic episodes and depressive episodes. Mania and hypomania can bring less need for sleep, racing thoughts, and impulsive decisions, while depressive episodes bring low energy, low motivation, and changes in sleep and appetite. At our Oak Creek, WI practice, Dr. Vassar diagnoses and treats bipolar disorder using mood stabilizers, antipsychotic medication when appropriate, and ongoing therapy. Your medication plan is reviewed regularly and adjusted based on how your mood actually responds, not left unchanged for months at a time.
At least one manic episode lasting seven days or longer, or severe enough to require hospitalization. Depressive episodes often follow but aren’t required for diagnosis.
Hypomanic episodes lasting four days or longer combined with at least one major depressive episode. No full manic episode occurs, but depression often lasts longer than in Bipolar I.
Milder mood swings that continue for two years or more without meeting full criteria for a manic or major depressive episode. Symptoms are real but less severe.
Four or more mood episodes within a single year. Rapid cycling can occur with either Bipolar I or Bipolar II and often needs a more active medication approach.
Manic and depressive symptoms occurring at the same time, such as high energy combined with low mood. Mixed episodes carry a higher risk and need close monitoring.
Severe manic or depressive episodes that include a break from reality, such as delusions or hallucinations. This presentation usually requires antipsychotic medication alongside a mood stabilizer.
Getting the right diagnosis is the first step toward real stability. During your evaluation, Dr. Vassar reviews your mood history, sleep patterns, and family history to determine whether you meet criteria for Bipolar I, Bipolar II, or cyclothymic disorder. Because symptoms can overlap with depression, anxiety, or ADHD, other conditions are ruled out before a bipolar diagnosis is confirmed.
Some patients are asked to track their mood daily for a few weeks, which helps confirm patterns that are hard to recall accurately after the fact. Once a diagnosis is confirmed, you’ll get a clear explanation of which type of bipolar disorder fits your symptoms and what treatment options are available.
Codie Jordan Vassar, MD, MS, is a board-certified adult psychiatrist and the founder and medical director of NEH Psychiatry, the physician-led outpatient psychiatric practice of Nuestra Esperanza Health. He provides comprehensive ADHD evaluation, diagnostic, clarification, individualized medication management, and ongoing treatment planning for adults.
Dr. Vassar’s approach is warm, collaborative, trauma-informed, and culturally responsive. He emphasizes careful listening, clear explanations, and shared decisionmaking so patients can understand their options and participate confidently in care. His experience spans outpatient, integrated-care, addiction, emergency, consultationliaison, and telepsychiatry settings. He earned his MD and completed adult psychiatry residency at the Medical College of Wisconsin and holds an MS in Clinical Informatics from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Care is available in English and Spanish.
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NEH Psychiatry provides flexible in-person and telehealth bipolar disorder treatment options for individuals in Oak Creek, keeping diagnosis, medication management, and follow up care accessible.
In-person appointments allow you to meet directly with your provider in a private clinical environment. This option may be preferred by patients who value face to face communication or who feel more comfortable receiving care in an office setting.
Telehealth can make ongoing bipolar disorder treatment more convenient by allowing eligible patients to meet with their provider from a private location. Virtual appointments can reduce commuting, transportation difficulties, parking concerns, and scheduling barriers that may interfere with consistent follow-up care.
Finding the right psychiatric provider for bipolar disorder in Oak Creek, WI starts with an accurate diagnosis. Dr. Vassar completes a full clinical evaluation to confirm which type of bipolar disorder you have before recommending medication, so treatment targets the episodes you actually experience instead of guessing. From your first appointment, you’ll work with a provider who reviews your mood history in detail and adjusts your plan as your symptoms change.
Accurate Diagnosis First
Get a full evaluation that identifies Bipolar I, Bipolar II, or cyclothymic disorder before starting medication.
Medication Monitored Over Time
Receive regular follow up so your medication plan adjusts as your symptoms and side effects change.
In Person and Telehealth Access
Choose office visits in Oak Creek or telehealth appointments anywhere in Wisconsin.
Questions you may have about Us
Find answers to common questions about bipolar disorder diagnosis and treatment.
Our behavioral health services are designed to meet the diverse mental health needs of our patients through accurate diagnosis, effective treatment, and ongoing support.
Compassionate treatment helping individuals manage depressive symptoms, improve emotional balance, and regain motivation through evidence-based psychiatric care.
Specialized psychiatric support for individuals with ADHD, focusing on emotional regulation, behavioral development, and improved quality of life.
Personalized anxiety treatment focused on reducing fear, stress, and worry while improving daily functioning through therapy and medication management.
Supportive mental health care addressing emotional stress, life challenges, and overwhelming feelings to restore balance, resilience, and overall well-being.
Comprehensive care supporting mood stability through accurate diagnosis, medication management, and ongoing psychiatric monitoring for long-term wellness.
