Psychological Support (bipolar depression)

Personally, I'm not a fan of psychiatrists, especially for teens. They tend to be medication pushers and don't really talk to their patients much. They are likely to be over booked and run a near assembly line. We've gone through 3, and those 3 are very much alike. The last one's office was just terrible and rude too. Done with it.

An assembly line is good for people who just need medication, but it's bad, to actually know your patients and make sure that the medication is still the best course of action.

I think a therapist.. a LCSW or a Psychologist are better options. You can still see the Psychiatrist, or use a primary doctor, so long as they're on board (but they'll want some sort of therapy going on).

So, my suggestion would be to find a talk therapist or psychotherapist where that friend can go see more often, and call or text in an emergency to work through something. Also, I know my job has a "family resource" number, which I believe can put you in touch with a therapist over the phone to just talk about stuff. Maybe there is a hotline out there?