The ASBDD facilitates research, advocacy and academic exchange to foster collaborative engagement and research to improve the wellbeing and quality of life for people living with mood disorders, and their carers. They are a not-for-profit organisation and one of the founding chapters of the International Society for Bipolar Disorders (ISBD), a body dedicated to collaborative research to improve outcomes and quality of life for those living with these debilitating mental illnesses and their caregivers.

Organisation

Country: Australia

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Bipolar Australia is the peak organisation representing everyone affected by bipolar disorder including people with the condition, carers, friends and the professionals.

Organisation

Country: Australia

Email: info@bipolaraustralia.org.au

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Bipolar Carer Support Group Mental Health Foundation Australia are a monthly peer support group for the carers of people with Bipolar Disorder run by the Mental Health Foundation Australia. This support group offers carers of those suffering from Bipolar to build networks, attain support and to share their collective experiences.

Organisation

Address: St. Martin’s Anglican Church 27 Cromwell Road, South Yarra 3041

Country: Australia

Call 1300 643 287

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The Center for Reintegration is a non-profit organization committed to helping people with mental illnesses pursue a meaningful life through reintegration-- the process by which a person with a mental illness finds meaningful work and education, restores his or her relationships, and moves toward independent living. To help achieve these goals, the Center for Reintegration provides useful information, resources, and supports for consumers, caregivers, employers, educators, family and friends.

The Baer Reintegration Scholarship Program

The Baer Reintegration Scholarship Program

The Baer Reintegration Scholarship for those active in their recovery and for those who supports the efforts of organizations working to stimulate education, research and direct care in the mental health field.

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Organisation

Address: 347 West 37th Street, New York, New York 10018

Country: United States of America

Email: reintegration@reintegration.com

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Bipolar Education Programme Cymru (BEPC) is an award-winning group psychoeducation programme that aims to improve the quality of life for people with bipolar disorder. The course enables individuals to better manage their condition by understanding the symptoms of bipolar disorder, identifying their triggers and monitoring their mood to help them stay as well as possible. There are 10 sessions, each run in a group format with between 8 and 12 people. These combine presentations, informal group discussions and short exercises. The modules include:

• What is bipolar disorder?
• What causes bipolar disorder?
• The use of medication in bipolar disorder
• Psychological approaches to bipolar disorder
• Lifestyle approaches bipolar disorder
• Monitoring mood and identifying triggers
• Early warning signature

Family members and close friends of the group participants are also given the option to attend an additional session where they can find out more about bipolar disorder and meet other people in similar situations. BEPC is available to people diagnosed with bipolar disorder, over the age of 18 and living in Wales.

Organisation

Address: National Centre for Mental Health, Cardiff University, Hadyn Ellis Building, Maindy Road, Cardiff, CF24 4HQ

Country: United Kingdom

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Bipolar Scotland is a membership-based voluntary sector organisation that provides information, support and advice for people affected by bipolar disorder and those who care for them. They promote self-help throughout Scotland, and inform and educate about the condition. The aims of Bipolar Scotland are to provide information, support and advice for people affected by bipolar disorder, their carers and others with an interest in its work. Bipolar Scotland’s work covers the following areas:

• Support for a network of self-help groups throughout Scotland.
• Promoting and running Self-Management Training courses.
• Providing information on bipolar disorder (through the website, books information booklets, leaflets and a quarterly newsletter).
• Providing training and talks to various organisations/groups.
• Representation and input to national and local committees/forums.
• Providing input to research projects.
• Contributing to both statutory and independent sector reports on mental health services.

The Verse Factor

The Verse Factor

The Verse Factor is a national poetry competition on the Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival theme of “Memories and Dreams”. They had a great response with 178 poems from 85 poets.

 

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Organisation

Address: Mile End Mill Abbeymill Business Centre Seedhill Road Paisley PA1 1TJ

Country: United Kingdom

Call 0141 560 2050

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BipoläR is a national quality register for Bipolar in Sweden. The national quality register BipoläR collects data on treatment for patients with bipolar disorder. Most entities in Sweden that provide such processing are connected to the register. The purpose of BipoläR is to ensure that patients receive the best possible care. Treatment must be equal regardless of where in the country you live and regardless of gender or group affiliation. BipoläR shall provide a reliable basis for local and regional operational development and national quality evaluation of care. BipoläR reports values for a number of quality indicators. These are the main ones:

• Proportion of patients with relapses in affective relapses in the last 12 months
• Proportion of patients for whom structured or semi-structured diagnostic instruments have been used to support diagnostics
• Proportion of patients who have undergone patient education
• Proportion of patients in employment

With the register, caregivers and care providers should be able to continuously evaluate the treatment given and follow up on how to succeed in relation to other care providers. This provides better mental health and a higher level of function in patients. Healthcare becomes more preventive and thus more cost-effective. Another purpose is to be able to draw conclusions about what is the best care with the help of data in the register. New treatment methods and training that are introduced need to be evaluated. The follow-up can be used to speed up the dissemination of best treatment methods.

Organisation

Address: Quality register BipoläR Sahlgrenska University Hospital Blå stråket 15, floor 3 413 45 Gothenburg

Country: Sweden

Email: anne.snellman@vgregion.se

Call 0722-042130

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The REACH program is a 9-week psychoeducational wellbeing group (based on the principles of responsibility, education, acceptance, connection and hope) to help participants with depression or bipolar disorder manage their illness and stay well. Topics include:

• Fostering strengths
• Dealing with loss and grief
• Identifying early warning signs and triggers
• Wellbeing strategies
• Nurturing support networks
• Creating a unique Wellbeing Plan

Organisation

Address: Randwick NSW 2031

Country: Australia

Call (02) 9382 2991

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ABRATA is a not-for-profit association to meet the need of people with mood disorders - depression and bipolar disorder. ABRATA has developed multiple activities with resources from member contributions, fundraising events, partnerships and corporate sponsorships. ABRATA is of vital importance to their sustainability and is the expression of its role in Brazilian society. Its performance is driven by expressive works in favor of raising awareness and informing society about the nature of mood disorders, and psychosocial support for patients with depression, bipolar disorder, their families and friends. The objectives of ABRATA are to: 

• Educate patients, family members, mental health professionals and society as a whole about the nature and treatment of affective disorders
• Seek to reduce stigma and discrimination of affective disorders
• Promote the protection, protection and encouragement to patients and their families
• Educate patients, families and the rights of patients with affective disorders society
• To promote and conduct research in affective disorders
• Maintain exchange with national and international associations  
• Raise funds

Organisation

Address: Rua Borges Lagoa 74, conjunto 02, Vila Clementino, São Paulo

Country: Brazil

Postal Address: R. Borges Lagoa, 74 - conj. 02 - Vila Clementino

Email: diretoriaexecutiva@abrata.org.br

Call (11) 3256-4831

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The ChronoRecord Association is a not-for-profit organisation that collects and analyzes data to increase the scientific understanding of mood disorders. ChronoRecord® software is distributed worldwide to qualified practitioners and their patients with data collected and compiled into a database for long-term study.

Organisation

Country: United States of America

Postal Address: P.O. Box 3501 Fullerton, CA 92834-3501

Email: info@chronorecord.org

Call 714-773-0301

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The Heinz C. Prechter Bipolar Research Program’s is a research program at the University of Michigan that aims to discover the fundamental biological changes that cause bipolar disorder and develop new interventions to treat and prevent the illness. This is done through the study of the longitudinal course of the illness in people who are diagnosed with bipolar. Research involves biology (including genetics), clinical, and environmental features.

Organisation

Address: University of Michigan Frances and Kenneth Eisenberg and Family Depression Center Rachel Upjohn Building 4250 Plymouth Road Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2700

Country: United States of America

Email: bpresearch@umich.edu

Call 1-877-864-3637

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The Mood Disorders Society of Canada is the nation voice for consumers and families in Canada to ensure their issues adn concerns are understood and considered in the setting of research priorities, the development of treatment strategies adn the creation of government programs and policies related to mental illness. Collaboration is an MDSC operational principle. The Society fulfills its mandate through an active partnership approach that engages like-minded organizations in the public, private and voluntary sectors.​ The MDSC is engaged on an ongoing basis in a wide range of projects and initiatives designed to support the inclusion of persons with disabling mental illnesses in Canadian society. It has taken a lead proactive role in public policy and program development in many capacities on the national stage to provide people with mood disorders with a strong, cohesive voice at the national level by:

• Raising awareness that mood disorders are treatable medical issues
• Working towards eliminating barriers to full community participation in reducing discrimination and stigma
• Involving members of the public, government and treatment/service providers.
• Building a national clearinghouse of information and resources related to mood disorders.
• Advocating for the creation of adequate and accessible stigma-free programs for Canadians living with or suffering from mental illness.
• Ensuring that the voices of consumers and family members are accurately understood and communicated on issues of national importance by building on exisiting networks and alliances.

Organisation

Address: 3-304 Stone Road West, Suite 736 Guelph, ON N1G 4W4

Country: Canada

Email: info@mdsc.ca

Call 519 824 5565

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Plusminus is an association of and for people with a bipolar disorder and their loved ones in the Netherlands. They work on a better quality of life, better care and are committed to fighting the stigma on psychological vulnerability.

Organisation

Address: Stationsplein 125 3818 LE Amersfoort

Country: Netherlands

Email: bureau@plusminus.nl

Call Contact General questions bureau@plusminus.nl 033 30 32 350

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The Organization for Bipolar Affective Disorders (OBAD) is a non-profit organization promoting mental wellness through peer support, community education and creative collaboration.

Organisation

Address: OBAD c/o cSPACE King Edward 1721, 29 Avenue SW, Suite 375 Calgary, AB, T2T 6T7

Country: Canada

Email: obad@obad.ca

Call +1 403-263-7408

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