How to Become an Expert with Your Bipolar Disorder

If you follow the medical model of treatment, you will see a medical professional. They will dispense and monitor your medications. It’s important to see your medical providers regularly—they are the clinical experts.

A therapist is on the other side of the coin. These clinicians comprise your medical support team and make up the medical model approach to treatment.

You may see your doctor once a month for an appointment lasting 15 to 30 minutes. A therapy appointment can range from 30 minutes to an hour or more.

What should you do with the weeks between appointments, when you do not see a medical professional? 

The short answer is that you need to become an expert in your bipolar disorder.

That means you must become an expert in your symptomology, triggers, sleep habits, activity level, energy level, and how to function each day.

Medical professionals go to school to learn how to diagnose and treat various illnesses and disorders. You don’t need to go to school, but simply live your life to learn how to manage your bipolar disorder.

Each person diagnosed with bipolar disorder meets a certain list of criteria. The diagnostic criteria are the same across the board, but symptoms can range in type, length, and severity.

This is where you can empower yourself by taking action.

The following suggestions will help you to become an expert with your bipolar disorder.

Mood Journal

A mood journal tracks your mood. It can be as simple as giving your mood a numerical value based on a scale.

I find it beneficial to add a description to the numerical value of my mood. Since my mood does not necessarily dictate my emotions, I like to note the degree and severity of my mood, along with feelings and a summary of recent events. This can help to determine possible triggers in the future.

Whether you use an app, a computer, or a handwritten journal, keeping track of your mood daily is invaluable information to have and share with your doctor.

Food Journal (Including Water Intake)

A food journal is a record of what you eat and how much water you drink. Simply put, you write down when you eat and drink, and how much.

For me, I like to record:

• Calories
• Protein
• Carbohydrates
• Fat

There are so many apps and other programs to help keep track of your eating habits. I enjoy using an app as my personal preference.

I don’t keep track of when I drink water—I just note how much I drink throughout the day and add it up each evening.

A food journal is a wonderful tool to utilize so you can see how various foods impact your mood, energy level, anxiety, and overall physical feeling. 

For example, too much sugar and caffeine can adversely affect you. Using your mood journal in tandem with your food journal can help you figure out what foods affect you and how they do.

Exercise Journal

An exercise (or workout) journal is a log of your workouts. It gives you an example of the reality of your exercise habits.

I love lifting weights and do so daily. Before each week, I map out my workouts for each day. I use a Google Doc for my exercise journal. It links to my phone, and I simply follow my workout from there.

However, your exercise journal can also be as simple as writing it down on a piece of paper.

Record of Medications

Maintain a record of your medications.

Write down all of your medications and dosages and when to take them. You can write them out into a grid and keep track of when you take them.

It is important to observe any side effects and take notes. This is important information—along with all the information in this article—to share with your doctor at your next appointment.

Medical Support (Find a Great Doc and Therapist)

Contact your insurance company for a list of local providers and start making calls.

If you do not have insurance:

• Look for providers that have a sliding scale.
• Contact your local county mental health clinic.
• Investigate local colleges and universities for clinics and resources.

Unfortunately, insurance pretty much dictates your options, based on your coverage.

These days, there are not enough resources to keep up with the demand. To help alleviate some of this strain, some providers offer online appointments. Although I feel this is not ideal, I do believe it is an option, if needed.

My psychiatric nurse practitioner has an e-mail account that she checks multiple times each day. I find it extremely useful to keep in contact with her if I need her help, or immediate assistance, before my next appointment.

In the end, find a doctor and therapist that meet your expectations or, better yet, exceed them.

Read (and Research)

Read as much as you can about bipolar disorder. Go through books, studies, blogs, news stories, and documentaries. Find others living with bipolar disorder, and discuss their story with them.

I have attended various bipolar support groups throughout my life, and I even led one. It is a wonderful way to meet others living with bipolar disorder and learn coping techniques.

Last Thoughts

It may seem like a lot of work to keep track of all the details previously mentioned, but you will save yourself years of heartache and struggle.

When you begin to record the data from your daily life, I recommend you use one platform so you can keep everything together in one place. For example, create one journal with all the previously mentioned suggestions in separate sections.

Of course, everyone is different, so do what suits you and your own situation.

Keeping a written record will help you become an expert in your bipolar disorder regarding triggers, severity, and intensity of symptoms, and how you can function.

Remember, your medical team supports you in a very real and clinical sense. Most of them do not live with bipolar disorder and do not understand the idiosyncrasies of living with it every day. It is up to you to put the pieces of the puzzle together.

I have found that theory and conjecture cannot take the place of practical application. Implement practical application by becoming an expert with your bipolar disorder.