How to Track Bipolar Events

Bipolar disorder, or manic depression as it is often called, affects almost 6 million adults in the United States, according to the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance. This mental illness is characterized by intense shifts in energy, mood, behavior and thinking. Sufferers of bipolar disorder often alternate between mania ("high" state) and depression ("low"). One crucial strategy for both understanding your illness and managing it is to track your moods and bipolar events.

Things You'll Need

• Computer access or pen and paper

Show More

Instructions

Charting Your Moods

• 1

  Decide upon a method. You can chart by hand or you could keep track of your moods online. There are various websites which offer a printable mood chart, while others offer the convenience of charting online. Decide according to what will be most comfortable and convenient for you.

• 2

  Create a mood chart to track your bipolar events and fill it out every day. This should identify the month along with a list of days (numbered 1 through 31) along with categories to identify and track your moods (such as severe depression, moderate depression, mild depression, stable, mild mania, moderate mania, severe mania, anxiety, irritability). Also indicate the amount of sleep you've gotten and what medications you have taken. Reserve an area to write notes about specific stressful events (such as a fight or starting a new job), problems or side effects that you experience from your medication.

• 3

  Review your chart periodically. By keeping a written track of your moods, feelings and the events in your life, you will be able to clearly see how your life affects your disorder (and vice versa). This is going to be a useful tool in understanding your illness and any potential triggers which worsen your mood swings.

• 4

  Bring the chart with you to your next doctor appointment. This is a great tool to you're your doctor measure your progress, evaluate the effectiveness of your medication (or problems with your medication). It also will help you to keep track of any questions that you need to address with your doctor. This will also give your doctor a detailed record which will help him to see if the medication you are taking is effective as well as what kind of progress you are making.