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Helpful Tools


A good way to help manage bipolar disorder is to learn about it and take an active role in your treatment plan. There are tools that can help:

  • One important way to manage bipolar disorder is to keep track of how you're feeling on a Mood Chart.
  • Keeping a Wellness Checklist can be a helpful aspect of self-care for bipolar disorder.
  • Many people with bipolar disorder have found support groups to be helpful. The Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) has a grassroots network of more than 1,000 support groups.

Using these tools:

  • May help you communicate effectively with your healthcare provider
  • May help you understand and manage your bipolar disorder better

Mood Chart

Mood Chart is a daily log written by you. It is a record of daily events (such as arguments) that affect you emotionally. You also write down the medicines you took and what type of mood or moods you experienced during the course of the day.

Creating a written record is a good way to see things clearly. You may also learn how the patterns in your daily life affect bipolar disorder.

Your mood chart can show you and your healthcare provider how your medicine is working. It also can show the challenges you face and the progress you are making. Click here to download a Mood Chart (pdf).

Wellness Checklist

If you have bipolar disorder, a Wellness Checklist can help you care for yourself. Use this Wellness Checklist to keep track of the following:

Talk to your counselor, healthcare provider, or other healthcare professional regularly.
Keep all of your appointments.
Take your medicine exactly as prescribed
Share talking and listening time with a friend.
Do exercises that help you relax, focus, and reduce stress.
Participate in fun activities.
Record your thoughts and feelings in a journal.
Create a daily planning calendar.
Avoid street drugs and alcohol.
Make sure you spend some time outdoors.
Improve your diet. Avoid caffeine, sugar, and heavily salted foods.
Attend a local support group regularly if your healthcare provider agrees

Click here for printer-friendly Wellness Checklist.

Support Group Locator

People with bipolar disorder do not need to feel alone or ashamed. There are support groups in your community that may help you. Talk to your healthcare provider to find out if a support group is right for you.

The Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) has a network of more than 1,000 support groups. Click here to go to the support group section of the DBSA Web site.

As an addition to therapy, support groups:

  • Can help you stay with your therapy
  • May provide a place for acceptance and understanding
  • May help people understand that bipolar disorder is a serious medical illness and is not something to be ashamed of.
  • May help people benefit from the experiences of those who share their illness

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