Class
Article
College
College of Humanities and Social Sciences
Faculty Mentor
Jennifer Roark
Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Abstract
Bipolar Disorder is a mental illness that affects 4% of the population (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2011). It has significant debilitating symptoms, and the leading therapies for it have mixed results (American Psychiatric Association, 2000; Ye et al., 2016; Miklowitz et al., 2014). Mindfulness is a promising therapeutic technique that merits more research. This project seeks to discover more about how people with bipolar disorder use mindfulness to better cope with their bipolar episodes. It explores what people have learned about mindfulness in treatment or in their own study of it and how mindfulness helps each individual’s symptoms. The sample for the study was 15 participants, and the data was collected through qualitative interviews. The participants were adults with bipolar disorder in Northern Utah. Our preliminary results have shown that through the practice of mindfulness, participants have said that they have been able to make episodes more manageable. Many have said that mindfulness is a key feature of the way they cope with their bipolar disorder. Some of our participants have also said that mindfulness can make episodes less intense and can even shorten the length of an episode in some circumstances. Nearly all of the participants have said that mindfulness helps with the depression and anxiety aspects of the disorder, and a few have said that mindfulness is also useful for bipolar mania. This research also explores triggers for episodes and what other coping techniques have been useful for managing bipolar disorder. It aims to take a closer look at what factors make bipolar episodes worse, and what helps, with an emphasis on how people with bipolar disorder use mindfulness to cope.
Location
Room 204
Start Date
4-12-2018 1:30 PM
End Date
4-12-2018 2:45 PM
Mindfulness: "It's like Xanax" but, "more effective." How Mindfulness Helps People With Bipolar Disorder Cope With Bipolar Episodes.
Room 204
Bipolar Disorder is a mental illness that affects 4% of the population (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2011). It has significant debilitating symptoms, and the leading therapies for it have mixed results (American Psychiatric Association, 2000; Ye et al., 2016; Miklowitz et al., 2014). Mindfulness is a promising therapeutic technique that merits more research. This project seeks to discover more about how people with bipolar disorder use mindfulness to better cope with their bipolar episodes. It explores what people have learned about mindfulness in treatment or in their own study of it and how mindfulness helps each individual’s symptoms. The sample for the study was 15 participants, and the data was collected through qualitative interviews. The participants were adults with bipolar disorder in Northern Utah. Our preliminary results have shown that through the practice of mindfulness, participants have said that they have been able to make episodes more manageable. Many have said that mindfulness is a key feature of the way they cope with their bipolar disorder. Some of our participants have also said that mindfulness can make episodes less intense and can even shorten the length of an episode in some circumstances. Nearly all of the participants have said that mindfulness helps with the depression and anxiety aspects of the disorder, and a few have said that mindfulness is also useful for bipolar mania. This research also explores triggers for episodes and what other coping techniques have been useful for managing bipolar disorder. It aims to take a closer look at what factors make bipolar episodes worse, and what helps, with an emphasis on how people with bipolar disorder use mindfulness to cope.