Supporting the person who is disappointed about relapsing

If the person has been trying to manage their illness and is disappointed because they have relapsed anyway, you could support them by:

  • Listening if the person wants to discuss their disappointment.
  • Reassuring the person that they did their best; bipolar disorder is a complex illness and sometimes symptoms occur despite good illness management strategies.
  • Suggesting that sometimes medications and other illness management strategies that worked previously may need to be adjusted.
  • Encouraging the person not to give up hope, as finding what works to manage the illness is a trial and error process.