Parents With Bipolar Disorder: Relationship of Adaptation to Own Illness With Risk Perception and Coping With Perceived Risk to a Child

Background:

• Bipolar disorder is a common mood disorder that affects 1% to 2% of the population. Individuals with bipolar disorder tend to have periods of mania that are characterized by extra energy, very poor judgment or unrealistic beliefs about their thoughts and abilities, and an inability to complete thoughts and tasks; as well as major depressive episodes. The range and frequency of symptoms in affected individuals can vary greatly. Most individuals have cyclical symptoms and spend more time in a normal mood state than in an overtly symptomatic state.
• Relatives of individuals with bipolar disorder have an increased risk for bipolar disorder and other mood disorders. Currently, risk assessment for recurrence of a mood disorder is based on family and medical histories; genetic testing has not proved particularly useful to date for assessing risks of a mood disorder.
• Despite its prevalence, there is limited research on coping with bipolar illness. No published studies have examined adaptation to living with bipolar disorder or risk for bipolar disorder. More specifically, though a positive family history is the most important known risk factor for bipolar disorder, there are no published studies about response to the threat of future illness onset in children, risk modification efforts undertaken by affected parents, or coping with the risk for illness in children.

Objectives:

• To examine parents appraisals of the impact and cause of bipolar disorder, and the association with their perceived risk for bipolar illness in their child and how they cope with their perception of risk to their child.
• To assess whether parents adaptation to their own illness is associated with coping with perceived risk to their child.
• To describe parents coping strategies related to perceived risk in their children.

Eligibility:

• Men and women at least 18 years of age who have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and who have at least one biological child (30 years of age or younger). Participants must be a primary caregiver for their children.

Design:

• Participants in this study will take an online survey and answer questions about disease perceptions, coping strategies, and adapting to a diagnosis of bipolar disorder, addressing issues such as the following:
• Assessing the threat of bipolar disorder and coping with one s own illness.
• Optimism/pessimism of the individual coping with the illness.
• Perception of risk to a child, and coping with the perceived risk.
• Data from this study will not be shared with the participants/respondents.