Impact of bipolar affective disorder on family and partners

‘Between a rock and a hard place’: family members’ experiences of supporting a relative with bipolar disorder

“…Participants also had a sense of 'walking on eggshells' when trying to help their relative, as they could react irritably or angrily to their interventions. This is consistent with the finding that irritability and aggression are some of the most distressing symptoms for family members, and communication often the most problematic area of difficulty (Dore & Romans, 2001;Reinares et al, 2006).…”

“…Participants in this study experienced increased anxiety during manic episodes due to the unpredictability of their relative's behaviour, and within depressive and mixed episodes due to the threat of suicide. The literature is inconsistent as to whether manic or depressive symptoms are more burdensome for family members (Dore & Romans, 2001;Post, 2005;Van der Voort et al, 2007). Although participants in this study tended to emphasise the difficulties associated with mania, they struggled to affect their relative's mood in both illness phases.…”

Dyadic Adjustment Among Healthy Spouses of Bipolar I and Ii Disorder Patients

“…However, there is no difference in dyadic adjustment between episodes of illness of the same type, which stands in opposition to the differences that exist between episodes in the context of the caregiving burden (Arciszewska et al 2015), but is consistent with the results obtained by Dore and Romans (2001) -in their study 46% spouses declared that both episodes (either low or high mood) are equally distressing. Nevertheless, it is worth noting that the assessment of episode changes in one patient (as in the study of Dore &Romans 2001 andArciszewska et al 2015) may differ from the situation when various episodes are compared between different patients (as in this study).…”

Cognitive impairment in a Brazilian sample of patients with bipolar disorder

“…Studies suggest that patients experience difficulties in psychosocial and occupational functioning, 4,6,11,12 and in interpersonal relationships. 13,14 Furthermore, BD is associated with poorer quality of life, 15,16 and cognitive impairment. 17,18 Researchers have made a great effort to understand the cognitive impairment associated with BD.…”