Treatment for Depressive and Bipolar Disorders

Bipolar disorder (BD) is a condition that requires a combination of pharmacological treatment and psychological management. It is characterized by two major sets of symptoms for manic (and hypomanic) and depressive episodes. Thus, some studies and interventions focus only on one part of the condition, hoping to improve one’s wellbeing during some episodes. According to Gliddon et al. (2019), bipolar depression is a mood state that is the most common in people BD. It is a challenging time for a person, during which they may feel hopeless, disinterested, fatigued, and even suicidal. Gliddon et al. (2019) choose these episodes as a focus for their intervention for this reason. Moreover, they note that their chosen treatment – an online self-guided intervention MoodSwings 2.0 – has been mostly analyzed for manic episodes.

Currently, many people cannot access psychotherapy due to their location, socioeconomic status, or service capacity. Therefore, online programs become an invaluable tool for addressing issues related to such conditions as BD. Gliddon et al. (2019) consider an online self-guidance instrument that includes a discussion forum for people with various BD types, psychoeducational modules, and CBT-based interactive tools. The researchers separate all participants, adults between 21 and 65 years old with diagnosed BD, into three groups, giving them different access to the online platform’s services. Gliddon et al. (2019) find significant differences among the groups’ results. Participants with access to educational modules and CBT interaction showed much more improvement than the first group in depression outcomes and secondary effects of depressive episodes (Gliddon et al., 2019). As a result, the study shows that an online intervention can be a part of treatment for people with BD, providing support not only for mania but also for depression.

Reference

Gliddon, E., Cosgrove, V., Berk, L., Lauder, S., Mohebbi, M., Grimm, D., Dodd, S., Coulson, C., Raju, K., Suppes, T., & Berk, M. (2019). A randomized controlled trial of MoodSwings 2.0: An internet‐based self‐management program for bipolar disorder. Bipolar Disorders, 21(1), 28-39.