Abstract
Bipolar disorder is a serious mental illness, marked by symptoms including severe shifts in mood, energy levels, and ability to complete activities of daily living. These symptoms may lead to damaged relationships, problems with performing at work or in school, increased hospitalization, and self-harming or suicidal behavior. Bipolar disorder” is responsible for more disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) than all cancers or than major neurologic conditions such as epilepsy or Alzheimer’s disease”, with a prevalence of more than 3% of the United States population (Merikangas, et al., 2011). Individuals with bipolar disorder are also at significantly higher risk of co-morbidity with other serious mental illnesses and substance abuse. Because of the seriousness of the symptoms of bipolar disorder on individuals and its impact on their friends and family members, it is important to provide effective interventions to help manage the illness throughout life. Family psychoeducation (FPE) is an evidence-based practice intervention that has been shown to improve treatment compliance and reduce symptoms. It also has been demonstrated to improve knowledge and reduce burden for caregivers of individuals with bipolar disorder (Zaretsky, Rizvi, & Parikh, 2007; Madigan, et al., 2012). This poster presentation identifies the FPE intervention as well as its impacts when utilized as a treatment for individuals diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
Description
Social Work Poster Session
