8.1 Introduction
Learning Objectives
- Apply the nursing process to patients with bipolar disorders
- Describe nursing assessments related to bipolar disorders
- Identify common nursing problems/diagnoses related to bipolar disorders
- Establish a safe environment
- Apply evidence-based practice when planning and implementing nursing care
- Describe common treatments for bipolar disorders
- Identify appropriate referrals to community resources
- Evaluate the effectiveness of interventions
- Provide education to patients and their family members
Bipolar disorder is a mental illness that causes dramatic shifts in a person’s mood, energy, and ability to think clearly. Moods shift from abnormally elevated moods called manic episodes to abnormal low moods of depression. Severe bipolar episodes of mania can also include hallucinations or delusions, which can be confused with symptoms of schizophrenia.[1] This chapter will discuss the signs, symptoms, and treatments for bipolar disorder and explain how to apply the nursing process when caring for clients with bipolar disorder.
- National Alliance on Mental Illness. (2017, August). Bipolar disorder. https://www.nami.org/About-Mental-Illness/Mental-Health-Conditions/Bipolar-Disorder ↵
