Upon their initial visit to the FCBD, patients and caregivers
underwent clinical psychiatric assessment and also completed initial
research questionnaires. Diagnoses made clinically by FCBD clinicians
were used to determine study eligibility. Approximately 60%
of patients were determined at clinical assessment to have a diagnosis
other than bipolar disorder. The most commonly encountered
diagnoses other than bipolar disorder were borderline personality
disorder, other personality disorders, and major depressive disorder.
These nonbipolar patients and their caregivers were excluded from
the present study, and their data were excluded from analysis.
Caregivers were chosen by patients as the primary person who
provided support when they got sick and whom they wanted to
include in their treatment. All patients and caregivers provided
written informed consent, and the study was reviewed and approved
by the institution’s IRB and conducted in accordance with the
Helsinki Declaration of 1975.