Clients Who Have Bipolar Disorders

INTERVENTIONS WITH CLIENTS WHO HAVE BIPOLAR DISORDERS 

In the previous section we discussed the importance of accurately assessing and diagnosing bipolar disorders and fully distinguishing between the different mood states that these clients can experience. In this section the emphasis will be on the types of treatment interventions that are available and often used successfully to manage bipolar symptoms. 

Although bipolar disorders are long-term illnesses that require monitoring and treatment measures, they can, in fact, be managed with psychosocial as well as psychopharmacological means (Brotter, Clarkin, Car- 

As with all clients, the social woilc practitioner should establish a therapeutic relationship that will allow the client to seek the practitioner out over the course of the illness. This disorder results in a long-term relationship where ideally the client will follow a specific treatment protocol to avoid future mood episodes. Throughout this therapeutic relationship, the client should also feel comfortable in seeking the necessary assistance when the symptoms become acute. A trusting relationship with the social worker will encourage the client to seek help early in the process, enabling the client to receive help as soon as indications of a new episode arise. 

It is important for social work practitioners to remember that clients with bipolar disorders follow a predictable course of manic episodes followed by depressive states. It is during the depressive episode that the client will need to be assessed for potential suicidal thoughts and behaviors 

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