DBT for Bipolar Disorder: Therapy-Interfering Behaviors and Radical Acceptance

United States Department of Homeland Security

Due to the stigma and misinformation still associated with bipolar disorder symptoms, it’s especially important to teach and model the DBT skills of radical genuineness and radical acceptance.
If it’s too difficult for clients to radically accept all of the symptoms and implications of the disorder, it can be helpful for the client to start off by radically accepting just 1 piece of the disorder and building from there.
Due to the inherent fluctuating nature of bipolar disorder symptoms, it’s especially important for the therapist to have good timing skills while remaining flexible.
For example, clients may need different skills, depending on whether they’re approaching a manic vs depressive state, and mood states can always change without notice. For these reasons, mood charting is especially critical at all times, regardless of where clients are at on the mood spectrum.