The Ups and Downs of Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder used to be known as manic depressive disorder. It is easy for the disorder to make affected individuals feel out of sync with their moods; making friends with the disorder and steering towards healthy choices helps clients manage symptoms, minimize mood cycling, and feel more in control. The first half of this workshop will review the basics of bipolar disorder: diagnostic features, prevalence, demographics, etiology, neurobiological underpinnings and course of the disorder. The second half of this workshop will review current treatments for bipolar disorders: medications, evidence-based psychotherapies, and focus of current research.

Educational Objectives

Participants in this workshop will be able to:

• Describe symptoms generally associated with bipolar disorders;
• Explain the differences between bipolar disorder and unipolar depression, schizoaffective disorder and schizophrenia;
• Identify other diagnoses that may be misdiagnosed as bipolar disorders;
• Explore the differences in treatment between children, adolescents and adults; and
• Review psychopharmacological treatments for bipolar disorders.

TARGET AUDIENCE:  Case managers, social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists, licensed professional counselors, mental health professionals, clinicians, nurses, health and human service practitioners.

Eligible for 3 CEUs

Presenter: Dr. Mita Johnson