INPATIENT SELF-MANAGEMENT OF BIPOLAR DISORDER

As part of a grounded theory study of the self-management informationa l needs and activities of inpatients with bipolar disorder, an analysi s was conducted to describe how hospitalized people with bipolar disor der manage their illness. Thirty-three people participated in semistru ctured, audiorecorded interviews that included questions about their s elf-management. Findings related to three areas: (a) factors that affe ct self-management, (b) patient-initiated self-management intervention s, and (c) information believed by the participants to be important fo r other people with the disorder. Advances in the understanding of the self-management of people with bipolar disorder are pivotal to the de velopment of strategies that may reduce, and perhaps one day prevent, relapse. Copyright (C) 1996 by W.B. Saunders Company