Course Summary

Co-occurring bipolar disorder and substance use disorder pose a serious health risk to affected individuals. Patients with dual diagnoses may experience substantial challenges during treatment for their mental illness and recovery from substance use. Early diagnosis and intervention can significantly improve the potential outcomes for patients with a dual diagnosis. The changes made in this area within the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders guide health clinicians managing bipolar disorder complicated by a substance use disorder to lower the health risks throughout the age spectrum.  This is the third in a three part series on this topic.

Course Format

Homestudy

Course Syllabus

  • I.              Introduction
  • II.           Challenges to Treating a Bipolar Disorder
    • 1.   Developing a Treatment Plan
    • 2.   Important Aspects of Treatment
  • III.        Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
  • IV.         Dialectical Behavioral Therapy
  • V.            Dual Diagnosis Rehabilitation Programs
    • 1.   Detoxification
    • 2.   Group Therapy
    • 3.   Family Therapy
    • 4.   Relapse Following Treatment
  • VI.         Medication Treatment for Dual Diagnosis
    • 1.   Medication Types to Manage Bipolar Disorder
    • 2.   Medication Types to Manage Substance Use Disorder
  • VII.       Adherence To Treatment
    • 1.   Abstinence
    • 2.   Manic Episode and Adherence
    • 3.   Depressive Episode and Adherence
    • 4.   A Multi-system Approach
  • VIII.    Case Study: Dual Diagnosis and Recovery
    • 1.   Discussion
  • IX.         Summary

Author

Dana Bartlett, RN, BSN, MSN, MA, CSPI

Dana Bartlett is a professional nurse and author. His clinical experience includes 16 years of ICU and ER experience and over 27 years as a poison control center information specialist. Dana has published numerous CE and journal articles, written NCLEX material, textbook chapters, and more than 100 online CE articles, and done editing and reviewing for publishers such as Elsevier, Lippincott, and Thieme. He has written widely on the subject of toxicology and was a contributing editor, toxicology section, for Critical Care Nurse journal. He is currently employed at the Connecticut Poison Control Center. He lives in Wappingers Falls, NY.