I am probably just as much to blame as any other writer on the internet. I'm guilty of writing articles that take one single aspect and talk about that without any context for the subject, no mention of the many other aspects that need to be considered. This time I'm going to rectify that with a discussion of the complete steps involved in living a truly fulfilling life with bipolar disorder.

First, can there be such a thing as a fulfilling life with bipolar disorder? Bipolar wrecks relationships because behaviour goes awry. For the same reason, a job can be hard to keep after a manic outburst. Study becomes impossible because of concentration problems. You can lose your children to child protection. How then can we claim a fulfilling life?

The answer is a holistic one, considering the illness itself, the person's relationships, the doctor, techniques for managing the illness, and the lifestyle of the person.

Bipolar disorder expresses itself differently for each person. So if you watch carefully for signs of behaviour or activity that are typical for you when you are becoming ill, you can make some plans about what to do when you see those signs again. You should be able to come up with some actions that will slow the illness down. You can also watch for personal signs of becoming extremely ill. When you have identified those you can talk to your partner / housemate / supporter and agree on what that person will do if they see those signs. This could save your life.

Triggers of bipolar can often be neutralized, if not avoided altogether. Again, triggers tend to be personal, so a concentrated effort to identify and recall triggers leads to the power to decide to neutralize or avoid them. So bipolar is less likely to get a start, and if it does it can be nipped in the bud; if it does get out of control there are firm plans in place to protect the sufferer.

A little research enables a sufferer to limit bipolar's damage to collateral matters such as education, work, children, and money. So bipolar can't get an easy start; its wings are clipped and the things it might damage are protected. What else can be done?

In between episodes most people are quite well. At this stage, they can establish daily and weekly routines, which are so very helpful in bipolar, so that there is a rhythm to life, rather than chaos. The routines, if they include cross-body exercise such as walking or freestyle swimming, will assist in stabilising their brain. The routines will also help with body clock anomalies which are common in bipolar disorder. The routines also include mainstream (not mental health) activities to make normal the person's outlook on life.

So, to summarise, we have a sufferer in the best possible situation and with barriers to bipolar at every stage of illness. Also, we have safety nets in place to protect important aspects of life should the illness get out of hand. This is a particularly secure environment for anyone to enjoy (substitute alcohol abuse, chronic illness, etc for bipolar). A holistic approach like this actually delivers peace of mind to sufferers and their families and can return people to mainstream life and productivity. To learn more about establishing this secure situation, readers might consider our recently-launched online course on living well with bipolar disorder.