<p> Bipolar disorder (BD) affects a significant proportion of women. Although a considerable amount of information is available to the public regarding the general treatment of BD, and although there has been a considerable amount of recent research about the treatment of BD during pregnancy that is aimed at healthcare providers, little information geared toward women with BD is available on the comprehensive and holistic management of BD during pregnancy. The purpose of this study was to learn about women with BD's concerns and experiences related to pregnancy issues. Thirty-eight participants, including 20 women who reported being diagnosed with BD-I, and 18 women who reported being diagnosed with BD-II, participated in an open-ended online questionnaire (<i>n</i> = 31) or telephone survey (<i>n</i> = 7) which inquired about their concerns, fears, desired information, advice, and experiences related to BD and pregnancy. Qualitative thematic analysis identified six key findings: (a) women of childbearing years diagnosed with BD are profoundly concerned about pregnancy issues; (b) women with BD are afraid of harming their unborn children and babies; (c) women with BD are eager to educate themselves about pregnancy issues, and they are dissatisfied with the information they are finding; (d) women with BD want their healthcare providers to inform them of the risks associated with various treatment options during pregnancy, as well as pregnancy and mood issues; (e) women with BD recommend and desire psychotherapy during pregnancy, and they want to know how to include their partners in therapy; and (f) women with BD are concerned about their relationships with their healthcare providers.</p>
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:PROQUEST/oai:pqdtoai.proquest.com:3605221 |
| Date | 28 January 2014 |
| Creators | McGrath, Stephanie A. |
| Publisher | Alliant International University |
| Source Sets | ProQuest.com |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | thesis |
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