How to Partner with Your Healthcare Team
Dr. Dave Scheiderer: Hi. I'm Dr. Dave, a board certified psychiatrist. Managing your bipolar I’s symptoms can be complex and even overwhelming at times. Your healthcare provider is your partner to help you manage and control your condition. Be fully aware of how your experiences and how different treatment methods, both lifestyle changes and medication, may make you feel. It's all about speaking bipolar I.
Open communication with your health care provider can help you more easily adjust to starting a new medication or making changes to your current regimen. Here are a few ways to speak bipolar I.
Number one: know the lingo.
Find resources like this one and continue to learn all you can about bipolar one disorder. Do you know what a mixed episode is? Do you know what the possible symptoms are for both mania and bipolar I depression?
When you are describing your bipolar I symptoms, knowing the basics of bipolar I will help you and your provider speak the same language and make better sense about what you are going through.
Number two: track your moods with a mood chart.
It helps to be aware of how severe your mania and bipolar I depression are from day to day. How long your symptoms last, how much sleep you're getting, and how any recent major life events are making you feel.
There are often patterns between your life events or lifestyle changes and a shift in your symptoms. Once you know what these factors are, these may be called triggers, you can more easily identify a manic or depressive episode by recognizing the pattern in your mood chart and then taking appropriate steps.
Number three: know your mental health history.
This is a fuller look at the mood tracker I just mentioned. Keeping a record of every major mood episode, the things that were happening in your life at that time, what your medications were at the time, and if you or any family member has ever been hospitalized for a mood episode.
By documenting your lived experience, your health care provider will be able to identify important details, detect trends, and more easily recognize symptoms. All of this can help your provider better manage your bipolar I.
Number four: track your medications.
If you are taking medication to treat your bipolar I disorder, it is important to take your medication as your prescriber has instructed. You should reach out to that provider with any questions you may have regarding your treatment. If you are taking multiple medications, make sure you understand and are clear on how to and when to take each medication as prescribed. I hope this as well as the other tips I have discussed help you on your treatment journey.
How to Partner with Your Healthcare Team†
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How to Partner with Your Healthcare Team
Dr. David Scheiderer, MD, DFAPA
Board-certified psychiatrist
Dr. David Scheiderer
Hi, I’m Dr. Dave, a board-certified psychiatrist.
Managing your bipolar I symptoms can be complex and even overwhelming at times. Your healthcare provider is your partner to help you manage and control your condition. Be fully aware of how your experiences and how different treatment methods, both lifestyle changes and medication, may make you feel. It’s all about speaking bipolar I.
Open communication with your healthcare provider can help you more easily adjust to starting a new medication or making changes to your current regimen. Here are a few ways to speak bipolar I:
Text on screen
1. Know the lingo
Dr. David Scheiderer
Number one, know the lingo. Find resources like this one and continue to learn all you can about bipolar I disorder. Do you know what a mixed episode is? Do you know what the possible symptoms are for both mania and bipolar I depression? When you are describing your bipolar I symptoms, knowing the basics of bipolar I will help you and your provider speak the same language and make better sense about what you are going through.
Text on screen
2. Track your moods
Dr. David Scheiderer
Number two, track your moods with a mood chart. It helps to be aware of how severe your mania and bipolar I depression are from day to day. How long your symptoms last. How much sleep you’re getting. And how any recent major life events are making you feel. There are often patterns between your life events or lifestyle changes and a shift in your symptoms. Once you know what these factors are, these may be called triggers, you can more easily identify a manic or depressive episode by recognizing the pattern in your mood chart and then taking appropriate steps.
Text on screen
3. Know your mental health history
Dr. David Scheiderer
Number three, know your mental health history. This is a fuller look at the mood tracker I just mentioned, keeping a record of every major mood episode, the things that were happening in your life at that time, what your medications were at the time, and if you or any family member has ever been hospitalized for a mood episode. By documenting your lived experience, your healthcare provider will be able to identify important details, detect trends, and more easily recognize symptoms. All of this can help your provider better manage your bipolar I.
Text on screen
4. Track your medications
Dr. David Scheiderer
Number four, track your medications. If you are taking medications to treat your bipolar I disorder, it is important to take your medication as your prescriber has instructed. You should reach out to that provider with any questions you may have regarding your treatment. If you are taking multiple medications, make sure you understand and are clear on how to and when to take each medication as prescribed. I hope this as well as the other tips I have discussed help you on your treatment journey.
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†This content does not constitute medical advice or establish a patient-physician relationship. Please talk to your healthcare provider about your specific treatment needs.