Our son lives with bipolar disorder and takes 1,000 mg of Depakote® daily. It doesn’t seem to be working; he remains unmotivated and very anxious. He feels no need to seek therapy do you have any advice on how to get someone to visit a therapist?

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Robert C. Malenka, M.D., Ph.D. - Brain & behavior research expert on depression

Answer By: Robert C. Malenka, M.D., Ph.D.

Professor, Adult Psychiatry Department

Pritzker Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

Director, Pritzker Laboratory

Co-director, Stanford Institute for Neuro-Innovation and Translational Neurosciences

Stanford University School of Medicine

Helping a friend or loved one understand that they will benefit greatly from seeing a therapist is often very difficult. In most cases, adults cannot be ‘forced’ to seek help even when it is obvious that they will benefit. The best you can do is to provide frequent, gentle reminders and examples of friends who have greatly benefited from therapy. However, this needs to be done in a supportive, non-confrontational manner.

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Our son lives with bipolar disorder and takes 1,000 mg of Depakote® daily. It doesn’t seem to be working; he remains unmotivated and very anxious. He feels no need to seek therapy do you have any advice on how to get someone to visit a therapist?

Q. Our son lives with bipolar disorder and takes 1,000 mg of Depakote® daily. It doesn’t seem to be working; he remains unmotivated and very anxious. He feels no need to seek therapy do you have any advice on how to get someone to visit a therapist?

Answer By: Robert C. Malenka, M.D., Ph.D.

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