Overcoming Bipolar Disorder is a self-guided workbook clinicians will want to master, reference, and recommend to their clients with bipolar disorders to assist them living well in spite of the symptoms.

This workbook will help clients learn how to recognize their mania and depression triggers, develop coping skills for managing symptoms, form partnerships that are more productive with their healthcare providers, and keep their lives balanced as they work toward their goals.

The authors' Life Goals Program has already helped many people with bipolar disorder understand how bipolar works and take charge of their lives. This workbook makes the Life Goals Program techniques available to the public for the first time, giving them the tools they need to create an action plan for symptom management designed specifically for them. They will also discover how simple changes in eating, exercise and sleeping habits can improve mood and keep symptoms at bay.

Educational Objectives

Upon completion of this course, the clinician will be able to:

• Be better able to define Bipolar Disorder
• Have an improved theoretical framework for the assessment and treatment of Bipolar Disorders
• Have an increased ability to identify the early warning signs/symptoms of a Bipolar Disorder
• Possess a blue print for helping patients accept the diagnosis of a Bipolar Disorder and assist in their own treatment
• Have increased efficacy in preparing clients to identify the triggers for mania and depression
• Be more prepared to help clients construct a personal action plan for mania and depression
• Better able to assist clients in developing their own personal life wellness and life goal attainment program

Syllabus / Course Instructions

• The Course consists of reading the selected book, successfully completing an online posttest and filling out a course evaluation.
• The book is not included. It must be purchased separately. We have supplied a link to Amazon.com for your convenience.
• Purchasing your course will give you access to both a printable copy of the test and an online version. Print the test to use as a companion as you read the book and answer the questions.
• You cannot exit the online test once you begin, so have your answers available.

Additional Resources On This Site for CE

• Getting Over OCD: A 10-Step Workbook for Taking Back Your Life
  Jonathan S. Abramowitz, PhD: 12 CE Credits
• A Spiritual Strategy for Counseling and Psychotherapy
  by P. Scott Richards, PhD, Allen E. Bergin, PhD: 9 CE Credits
• The Bipolar Disorder Survival Guide: What You and Your Family Need to Know
  David J. Miklowitz, Ph.D.: 15 CE Credits
• Boundaries: When to Say Yes and When to Say No
  by Henry Cloud and John Townsend: 12 CE Credits
• Spiritual Approaches in the Treatment of Women with Eating Disorders
  by P. Scott Richards, PhD, Randy K. Hardman, PhD, Michael E. Berrett, PhD: 9 CE Credits

Additional Resources Not On This Site

• INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCES ON BIPOLAR DISORDER
  
  There is much information on bipolar disorder available on this site. It contains copies of both audio and video feeds from all the speakers from each of the international conferences; 1994, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, and future.
  
  Visit the homepage:
  http://www.wpic.pitt.edu/STANLEY/bpconf.htm
  
  then choose from the conferences you are interested in. Clicking on the 'proceedings' link will take you to the video or audio of all the seminars.

Bio: Bauer, Kilbourne, Greenwald, Ludman, and McBride

Mark S. Bauer, MD is a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and director of the Harvard South Shore Psychiatry Residency Training Program. He received his bachelor's degree from the University of Chicago and his medical degree and psychiatry residence training from the University of Pennsylvania. He an internationally recognized educator, researcher, and clinician, with particular expertise in bipolar disorder.

Amy M Kilbourne, PhD, MPH, graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, with a double major in molecular biology and rhetoric. She has both a master's degree in public health with a concentration in epidemiology and a doctoral degree in health services from the University of California, Los Angeles. Kilbourne's research is focused on improving outcomes in individuals with mood disorders through integrated general medical and mental health care strategies, and translating effective treatment models for mood disorders into community-based settings.

Devra E. Greenwald, MPH, received her bachelor's degree from Vassar College and her master’s degree in public health from Yale University. She conducts research in mental health at the Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion at the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System.

Evette J. Ludman, PhD, received her bachelor's degree from Brown University and her doctorate from the University of Oregon. She is a clinical psychologist and researcher at Group Health Cooperative, where she motivates people to make positive life changes, from quitting smoking to overcoming depression.

Linda McBride, MSN, received her master's degree in nursing from the University of Rhode Island. She has lectured internationally and is a recognized educator, researcher, and clinician with expertise in bipolar disorder, patient education, and collaborative treatment for people seeking mental health care. She is affiliated with the graduate program in the college of nursing at the University of Rhode Island. She was awarded the Administrator's Excellence in Nursing award by the Department of Veterans Affairs.