Goal

The objective of the sixth session is to focus on the chronic and recurring character of the bipolar disorder, further emphasize the difference between cause and trigger, and remind the patient of the cyclic character of the disorder based on the mood-chart technique, which the patient must master by the end of the session.

Procedure

• Before each session, we will give all patients detailed explanatory documentation on how to make up the life chart and six or seven invented examples which we will use during the session. This documentation may be left on the chair for each patient or delivered to them when they enter the session.

• We will start the session, like always, inviting the patients to ask questions about the content of the previous session. Since Session 5 was about depression, it would not be surprising if its contents had worried certain patients and make them recall during the week the traumatic or unpleasant experiences of the depressive episodes. If we suspect that this might have happened, we will try to be open to completely changing the content of the sixth session and leaving it for the following week, focusing on working with the negative emotions generated in the previous meeting. Even though it is desirable to conduct the program as planned, we must remember that our ultimate objective is not to transmit knowledge but to prevent relapses, and for this purpose it may be very useful to dedicate more than one session to particularly delicate topics such as the experience of depression.

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