Bipolar Disorder can be a serious, ongoing and recurrent mental health difficulty that can impact considerably on individuals, families and society. This symposium will focus on some of the challenges presented while working with individuals that have this diagnosis, while focussing also on the significant potential opportunities of early intervention with this population. Specific challenges to early intervention work in bipolar disorder include; lack of guidelines for early intervention, difficulties in the development of engagement and insight, and limitations to the evidence base for psychosocial therapies for this population. However, the symposium will also discuss the development of guidelines for early intervention in bipolar disorder, techniques to improve insight and engagement, and the development of RECOVER, a randomised controlled trial of a specialised psychological intervention for bipolar disorder.
