Author Description

This case describes a study undertaken in 2012 by the collaborative research team to study psychosocial issues in bipolar disorder (CREST.BD) at the University of British Columbia. Our team used a community-based participatory research approach combined with the Delphi Consensus Consultation Method to explore self-management strategies that people with bipolar disorder use to prevent progression in manic mood states and to maintain wellness in daily life. Our study engaged academics, healthcare practitioners, and individuals who live with bipolar disorder in every aspect of the research, from inception, through implementation to knowledge translation. Extensive literature reviews on self-management strategies in bipolar disorder were followed by extraction and organization of self-management strategies. Our panel of participants (N=101 individuals with bipolar disorder and 52 healthcare providers) rated the strategies in an online survey in two rounds. There were high rates of agreement between people who live with bipolar disorder and healthcare providers in terms of the most effective self-management strategies. Several factors were identified for stopping progression into mania: Forward Planning, Early Intervention, and Decreasing Stimulation. Factors relating to effective strategies for maintaining a balanced mood state included the following: Calming Activities, Medical Management, Physical Activity, and Maintaining Hope. This case study also describes how we used integrated knowledge translation to communicate the result of our study to academics, people with bipolar disorder, healthcare practitioners, and the wider community.