Many patients with bipolar disorder view their illness as inherent traits of their identity, including confidence, empathy, self-awareness, social ease, productivity, and creativity.5 For patients that feel there are positive qualities to their bipolar disorder, the effectiveness of treatments, and likelihood of recovery, may be impacted.4 As a subset of patients with bipolar disorder do not wish to remove their disorder, understanding their reasons may inform approaches to interventions that are tailored to these individuals.4
References:
1. Greenwood TA. Positive traits in the bipolar spectrum: the space between madness and genius. Mol Neuropsychiatry 2017; 2 (4): 198–212.
2. Galvez JF, Thommi S, Ghaemi SN. Positive aspects of mental illness: a review in bipolar disorder. J Affect Disord 2011; 128 (3): 185–190.
3. Parker G, Paterson A, Fletcher K, et al. The ‘magic button question’ for those with a mood disorder – would they wish to re-live their condition? J Affect Disord 2012; 136 (3): 419–424.
4. Folstad S, Mansell W. ‘The Button Question’: a mixed-methods study of whether patients want to keep or remove bipolar disorder and the reasons for their decision. J Affect Disord 2019; 245: 708–715.
5. Greenwood TA, Chow LJ, Gur RC, Kelsoe JR. Bipolar spectrum traits and the space between madness and genius: the muse is in the dose. J Psychiatr Res 2022; 153: 149–158.