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. 2025 Mar 27:02537176251323887.
doi: 10.1177/02537176251323887. Online ahead of print.

An Experiential Account of Functioning During Remission in Individuals with Bipolar Disorder: A Grounded Theory Approach

Mareena Susan Wesley  1 , Manjula Munivenkatappa  1 , Jagadish Thirtalli  2
Affiliations

An Experiential Account of Functioning During Remission in Individuals with Bipolar Disorder: A Grounded Theory Approach

Mareena Susan Wesley et al. Indian J Psychol Med. .

Abstract

Background: Individuals with bipolar disorder (BD) experience considerable difficulty in functioning during remission as well. The actual lived experience of individuals with BD with respect to their functioning is not understood in the cultural context.

Methods: A qualitative approach in the form of interviews was taken from 11 participants who were diagnosed with BD in remission from a tertiary care hospital. The interviews were audio recorded and coded. Thematic analysis was carried out using a grounded theory approach to bring out relevant themes surrounding their inter-episodic functional limitations.

Results: The thematic analysis resulted in nine themes associated with the functioning, namely illness issues, treatment as an antidote, impact on self, relationship issues, coping strategies, disturbed cognitive functioning, stigma, occupational consequences, and dubious future.

Conclusions: The qualitative interview analysis provides a comprehensive picture of the experiences undergone by patients with BD. The themes and the sub-themes that came up in the analysis are reflective of the experiences of these individuals. The findings of the study can be utilized in planning effective interventions for remitted patients in the future so that functional limitations can be effectively addressed.

Keywords: Bipolar disorder; functioning; lived experience; qualitative study; remission.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declared the following potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: The article being submitted has not been published, simultaneously submitted, or already accepted for publication elsewhere. The manuscript has been read and approved by all the authors, and the requirements for authorship, as stated earlier in this document, have been met. Each author believes that the manuscript represents honest work. We declare that, to the best of our knowledge, the manuscript does not infringe upon any copyright or property right of any third party.

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