In order to thrive, all aspects of a person must be evaluated including physical health, lifestyle, education, employment status or career goals, relationships, etc. Collaboration between health care providers and patients/clients is key to the future of treatment of mental health conditions if we hope to evolve to a person- or wellness-centered, whole-health approach.
Peers Thriving with Bipolar
Though a diagnosis of bipolar disorder has objective criteria based on symptoms, everyone has a different story—a unique way of navigating their life.
DBSA met with three individuals who live with bipolar disorder and asked about the unique ways they navigate their lives while living with this mood disorder. In this video, they provide insightful solutions to the challenges that people living with bipolar may face. You can watch the full video above which includes all three participants answering each question or you can select a specific question below. You can also view individual responses from Cassie, Steve, and John.
- What was your experience when you were first diagnosed with bipolar disorder?
- How did you learn to treat your symptoms?
- How did you know when it was time to change your treatment plan?
- Why is it important to collaborate with your health care providers?
- At what point did you realize that you were more than your diagnosis?
- What can you tell someone who was just diagnosed with bipolar disorder?
Collaborative Care
Holly Swartz, MD, recipient of DBSA Gerald L. Klerman Senior Investigator Award and Young Investigator Award, discusses the importance of patients and clinicians working together to develop a treatment plan that encompasses all aspects of a patient’s life. Dr.Swartz also talks about what it means for patients to thrive with a mood disorder from the perspective of a health care provider.
Resources
Heart Disease
According to the American Heart Association, 92.1 million American adults are living with some form of cardiovascular disease or the after-effects of stroke. Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women and about 1 in every 4 deaths can be attributed to heart disease.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
People with depression or bipolar disorder are more likely to develop PTSD―both because having a mood disorder increases the risk of experiencing a traumatic event and because having a mood disorder makes it more likely a person who experiences a traumatic event will develop PTSD.
Diabetes
Over 30 million people in the United States live with diabetes and studies have shown that individuals who have diabetes are 2-3 times more likely to have depression than the general public.
DBSA would like to thank Allergan for supporting the Thriving with Bipolar Campaign.
