Staying well with bipolar disorder: A qualitative analysis of five-year follow-up interviews with young people.

Introduction The primary outcomes from this study of psychotherapy for young people with bipolar disorder identified that most participants had continued to remain well. Given that up to 80% of people relapse within 2 years, it was important to establish how these participants described the process of staying well. Aim To examine how participants in a psychotherapy for young people with bipolar disorder study at 5-year follow-up described their experiences of the intervention and its impact on living with the disorder. Methods This qualitative study was conducted 5 years after participants had completed a psychotherapy intervention in a randomized controlled trial for young people with bipolar disorder. Thirty people were recruited into this qualitative study and interviewed regarding their experiences. The data were analysed using an inductive thematic analysis. Findings Three themes were identified from the data: self-awareness in the context of bipolar disorder; understanding my bipolar disorder; and learning to stay well with bipolar disorder. Conclusions Mental health nurses can promote the factors that participants found helpful in learning to stay well self-awareness, understanding the unique characteristics of their disorder, learning to take care of the self and stabilization of social rhythms.