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Being in recovery from bipolar disorder involves work-related concerns. The specific aims of this study are to: 1) understand the role of work in recovery from bipolar disorders, and 2) understand how people with such disorders deal with work-related challenges. These topics are examined from the stance of the recovery process, in which work-related activities were explored. Semi-structured, qualitative interviews were conducted with persons who had experienced recovery from bipolar disorder. Analysis was performed through thematic and phenomenological analysis, with hermeneutic phenomenology and reflexive methodology as a framework. The findings are presented through the following themes: 1) many types of work - finding meaning and a focus; 2) helpful roles and contexts - to be much more than a person with an illness; 3) making work possible - the role of supportive relationships and supportive medications, and 4) the costs of working too much - finding a meaningful and healthy balance., AuthorCount:4

Research indicates that it may take up to 10 years between onset of symptoms of bipolar disorder and receiving correct diagnosis and treatment. What is this period like? How do individuals experience the process of discovering that they have a bipolar disorder? In this study we utilized a hermeneutical-phenomenological approach developed within a reflexive-collaborative framework to explore these questions. In-depth interviews with 13 participants who reported both bipolar I and bipolar II diagnoses were conducted. We analyzed our data in collaboration with a group of 12 coresearchers who have experiences of mood disorders, and through reflexive dialogue with this group we validated and expanded our results. We describe three phases through which participants manoeuvred from (a) “uncertainty and confusion” through (b) “grasping the novel and unusual experiential states” to (c) “giving meaning to the lived experiences of intense ups and downs.” These results are discussed in relation to theory, research and practice.