Bipolar Disorder. Dr Justine Hardy Dr Rohan Naidoo Clinical Psychologists Lincolnshire Partnership Foundation Trust

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1 Bipolar Disorder Dr Justine Hardy Dr Rohan Naidoo Clinical Psychologists Lincolnshire Partnership Foundation Trust

2 What is Bipolar Disorder?

3 About you.. Please feel free to share what feels ok to share. What is your relationship with bipolar?

4 Test your knowledge of Bipolar Disorder 1. Bipolar disorder can cause both depression and mania. TRUE or FALSE? 2. All you need to do to stay well is take your medication. TRUE or FALSE? 3. There is nothing you can do to stop depression or mania once it starts. TRUE or FALSE?

5 Test your knowledge of Bipolar Disorder 4. Sleep loss can trigger a manic episode. TRUE or FALSE? 5. To cope with bipolar disorder, you have to give up the exciting parts of your life. TRUE or FALSE? 6. Having bipolar disorder, usually means giving up your career goals. TRUE or FALSE?

6 Test your knowledge of bipolar 7. You can handle this illness on your own. You don t need help. TRUE or FALSE? 8. Only women get bipolar disorder. TRUE or FALSE?

7 Clip of one girl s story..(youtube) We want to show you a clip (from YouTube) of a lady who is struggling with extreme moods. There are some distressing features in this clip. We will have time at the end to discuss it.

8 What is Bipolar Disorder? Bipolar refers to 2 extremes of mood: depression and mania. It used to be referred to as manic depression Episodes of depression and mania can be severe or frequent enough for the person to be seen as having a disorder i.e. bipolar disorder. However, there is a continuum between the extreme mood states described, and normal mood swings that everyone experiences. A formal diagnosis is only made in some circumstances, e.g. if the person behaves in destructive ways, start to perceive reality differently, become exhausted or are admitted to hospital.

9 The Life of Bipolar Disorder These problems can start in late adolescence/ early adulthood. People can experience the extremes of mood, cycling, stability between the extremes of mood, or on-going mood problems

10 These experiences are quite common. Approximately 1-1.5% of the population experience them. BUT Research focuses on people who are in contact with services, which may lead to an overly negative view of how people are affected by bipolar disorder

11 Despite the negative bias, 60% of people do not experience relapse and over half are able to return to their previous lifestyle. Many people with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder, and those with similar experiences who have not received a diagnosis have huge amounts of energy and can be very creative.

12 Famous People with Bipolar

13 What Do Those With Experience Say? Being bipolar is like riding a roller coaster blindfolded, it s feeling half a step out of sync with the rest of the world. It s never feeling secure in making plans or promises because you have no idea what your mood will be, and know that half the time your mood will make you bad, hostile, or even dangerous company. Manic is madly egotistical, easily aggravated, prone to saying things you regret, and sometimes a danger to anyone around you. It is feeling better than can be put into words, and definitely way better than any drug high. It s creativity with no limits, and can run for days with no break until you finish, or become disphoric or depressed.

14 BREAK.

15 Contributing factors... Psychological Factors Life/Social Circumstances BIPOLAR DISORDER Biological Factors

16 Possible contributing factors Stressful life events Childhood distress Relationships Biological / Genetic

17 What sort of treatment is there? The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines suggest a combination of psychological treatment and medication.

18 Medication Most people who receive a diagnosis of bipolar disorder will be offered medication. There is more of an acceptance now that drugs cannot cure bipolar disorder, however Some people find medication helps them to manage the symptoms. The drugs include lithium, anticonvulsant drugs and antipsychotics.

19 Psychological approaches Psycho education about the illness. How to monitor your mood, detect early warning signs etc. Develop coping strategies to manage different mood states.

20 Mindfulness exercise This is a good introduction to mindfulness It is one of the ways in which we work, helping people to tune into their thoughts and emotions It helps to focus on the present moment This is an experiential exercise. Please don t worry about getting it right!!

21 Psychological Approaches continued Therapy can help you understand why you feel as you do. It can help you to try and understand all the bits of the jigsaw, to help you gain more of a sense of ownership and control. Therapy can also help find ways to make sense of and deal with relationship difficulties often associated with the condition.

22 Where can I can help? Your GP who can make a referral to a Community Mental Health Team (Multi-disciplinary) Citizens Advice Bureau Voluntary Organisations, e.g. MIND The Internet Local Library MIND information line The Samaritans

23 We are here to help with any questions Thank you so much for coming.