Toward caring for oneself in a life of intense ups and downs: a reflexive-collaborative exploration of recovery in bipolar disorder.

In this article, we discuss processes of recovery in bipolar disorder. We utilized a hermeneutical-phenomenological approach developed within a reflexive-collaborative framework to examine what individuals do to promote improvement and positive change in their own lives. The study was designed and carried out in collaboration with an expert-by-experience group of 12 coresearchers with firsthand experiences of mental distress and recovery. In-depth interviews were conducted with 13 participants who acknowledged having lived and dealt with a bipolar disorder. Four core themes were drawn from our analysis: (a) handling ambivalence about letting go of manic states; (b) finding something to hang on to when the world is spinning around; (c) becoming aware of signals from self and others; and (d) finding ways of caring for oneself. Interrelationships between the four themes, along with limitations, strengths, and implications of the study are discussed.