Bipolar psychoeducation

Bipolar disorder is a mental health condition that can worsen if left untreated. Providing bipolar psychoeducation helps clients better understand their condition and treatment options, which may reduce symptomatic days.

This article provides an overview of bipolar psychoeducation, including bipolar I disorder, bipolar II, and cyclothymic disorder. 

We’ve also included a free downloadable bipolar psychoeducation worksheet that you can provide to clients and save to your electronic health record (EHR) for repeated use. 

Bipolar disorder psychoeducation

Bipolar disorder is a mental health condition that affects a person’s mood, energy, activity levels, and concentration. 

People who experience bipolar disorder may have periods where they feel “up” or periods of feeling “down.” 

There are four types of bipolar disorder: bipolar I disorder, bipolar II disorder, cyclothymic disorder or cyclothymia, and bipolar disorder, other specified or unspecified. 

How common is bipolar disorder?

According to the National Institute of Mental Health:

• Prevalence of bipolar disorder among adults: 2.8% of U.S. adults experienced bipolar in the last year, and 4.4% of U.S. adults experienced bipolar disorder at some time in their lives. Of those adults, nearly 83% experienced a severe impairment, and 17% experienced a moderate impairment. 

• Prevalence of bipolar disorder among adolescents: An estimated 2.9% of teens aged 13 to 18 had bipolar disorder, with 2.6% experiencing severe impairment. 

• Risk of suicide: Bipolar disorder is commonly associated with suicide, with individuals with bipolar I disorder at a higher risk of suicide than the general population.  

What are the symptoms of bipolar disorder?

Each type of bipolar disorder has its own symptoms, which vary in severity. 

However, common symptoms associated with bipolar disorder include:

Depression 

People experiencing depression associated with bipolar disorder may be unable to get out of bed, have difficulty sleeping or sleep more than usual, struggle with decision-making, feel slowed down or restless, talk slowly, lose interest in activities, feel sadness or anxiety, and experience feelings of guilt, loss, helplessness, and like they are a failure. They may also have increased thoughts of suicide.

For people with bipolar disorder, periods of depression must be present every day for at least two weeks and impair the person’s ability to function.

Mania 

Mania is when individuals experience periods of clinically significant elevated mood, during which they may be irritable, impulsive, have a decreased need for sleep, have racing thoughts, reduced appetite, feel unusually important, talented, or powerful, and may take risks.

They may not be aware of manic behavior and may be at increased risk of suicide during this time. 

Mania may include psychotic symptoms such as delusions or hallucinations. However, people with bipolar disorder with psychotic symptoms may be wrongly diagnosed with schizophrenia. 

Hypomania 

A milder form of mania during which the person experiences an elevated mood, but can work or function in social situations.

What are the different types of bipolar disorder?

There are four types of bipolar disorder:

Bipolar I disorder 

This type of bipolar disorder features one or more episodes of mania. A person with bipolar I disorder may also experience episodes of depression, but depression is not necessary to meet the diagnostic criteria. 

To receive a diagnosis of bipolar I disorder, the individual must have experienced a manic episode for at least seven days, or their episode was so severe that they were hospitalized for treatment. 

Experiencing four or more episodes of mania and depression in a year is referred to as “rapid cycling.” 

Bipolar 2 disorder (bipolar II disorder) 

A type of bipolar disorder defined by periods of depressive and hypomanic episodes. 

However, an individual with bipolar II disorder doesn’t experience a full manic episode.

Cyclothymic disorder  

Also called cyclothymia, this disorder involves a person experiencing a chronic and unstable mood state with hypomania and mild depression for at least two years. 

During that time, they may also have periods of normal mood that last for less than eight weeks.

Bipolar disorder, other specified or unspecified 

This diagnosis is given when a person does not meet other bipolar diagnostic criteria but still experiences periods of clinically significant mood elevation.

How is bipolar disorder treated?

There are various treatment options for bipolar disorder, including:

• Psychotherapy: Interventions may include cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), bipolar psychoeducation, interpersonal social rhythm therapy (IPSRT), and family-focused therapy (FFT). Research shows that bipolar psychoeducation for clients with bipolar disorder and their families was associated with adherence to medication, a lower number of mood episodes, and a reduction in the length of stay during hospitalizations. 

• Medication: Treatment options include mood stabilizers, antidepressants, and antipsychotic medications. Mood stabilizers like lithium can reduce the risk of suicide. 

• Self-management strategies: This includes mood tracking, education, routines, exercise, social support, regular medical and therapeutic appointments, and bipolar psychoeducation to provide awareness of symptoms for early intervention.

• Other treatments: Some people find transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and light therapy helpful.

• Complementary approaches: This may include complementary or other holistic therapies, like integrative medicine and alternative therapies. However, research indicates that more studies are needed.

How to use the bipolar psychoeducation worksheet 

The bipolar psychoeducation worksheet contains all of the information above in a printable fact sheet that therapists can provide to clients.

You can download and use the bipolar psychoeducation worksheet in several ways.

Print or screen share the worksheet and use it as a bipolar psychoeducational prompt during a session with a client.

You can also give the bipolar psychoeducation worksheet to clients to remind them of what you discussed during therapy. 

Lastly, provide the handout to family members supporting a loved one with bipolar disorder or cyclothymic disorder.

Sources

• American Psychiatric Association. (2024). What are bipolar disorders?

• American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed). American Psychiatric Association.

• Gümüş, F., Buzlu, S., & Çakır, S. (2016). A sample individual psychoeducation model for bipolar disorder. Journal of Psychiatric Nursing.

• Jamison K. R. (2000). Suicide and bipolar disorder. The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.

• National Alliance on Mental Illness. (2017). Bipolar Disorder. 

• National Institute of Mental Health. (n.d.). Bipolar Disorder. 

• Rabelo, J. L., Cruz, B. F., Ferreira, J. D. R., Viana, B. M., & Barbosa, I. G. (2021). Psychoeducation in bipolar disorder: A systematic review. World journal of psychiatry.

• Qureshi, N. A., & Al-Bedah, A. M. (2013). Mood disorders and complementary and alternative medicine: a literature review. Neuropsychiatric disease and treatment.

How SimplePractice streamlines running your practice

SimplePractice is HIPAA-compliant practice management software with everything you need to run your practice built into the platform—from booking and scheduling to insurance and client billing.

If you’ve been considering switching to an EHR system, SimplePractice empowers you to run a fully paperless practice—so you get more time for the things that matter most to you.

Try SimplePractice free for 30 days. No credit card required.