The service and illness experiences described by users of the Mood Swings Network

Abstract

This paper explores the experience of illness, service and treatment from users of the Mood Swings Network. From a literature review a questionnaire was developed to ascertain users' illness experiences. Questionnaires were distributed to eighteen support groups based throughout the North West of England. Fifty questionnaires were returned, and results showed a range of positive and negative opinions about hospital and community services; pharmacological treatments; psychological and social effects of the illness, including stigma; and the personal experience of being high or low. The paper concludes by suggesting that these findings have added important information for the development of psychosocial interventions for clients with bipolar disorders.