Bipolar Disorder: Mood, Routines and Care Notes
Understand bipolar disorder and use brief notes about sleep, meals and prescribed treatment to support your care plan and recognise changes to discuss.
The rhythm of a day can change before it is easy to put the change into words. Meals, sleep and familiar routines may provide useful context for a conversation with your care team.
Start your food and symptom diary
Understanding Bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder involves episodes of depression and episodes of mania or hypomania, with possible periods of stable mood between them. Changes can affect energy, sleep, judgement and appetite. Diagnosis and ongoing care belong with a mental health professional. [1]
Care and everyday food decisions
Treatment commonly includes medicines and talking therapy. A regular routine can support care, but does not replace it. Keep taking prescribed treatment unless your doctor advises otherwise, and discuss pregnancy plans because some medicines require particular precautions. [1]
Keeping a useful personal record
Use One Food Forward for concise notes about meals, sleep changes and prescribed medicines if that feels helpful. A concrete observation, such as 'very little sleep; skipped lunch while busy', may be easier to discuss than a general impression. The app does not diagnose episodes, monitor risk or alert a crisis team.
Related reading: Depressive disorder.
Is feeling well a reason to stop medication?
No. Speak to your prescriber before making any change, even during a stable period. Agree in advance who to contact if you or someone close notices early warning signs. [1]
Keep the details somewhere you can find them
There is no need to tell the whole story at once. Start with today’s meal, a symptom or a few words about how you felt. Those small entries give you something to return to when it is time to talk about your care.
Sources and further reading
Your healthcare team should guide diagnosis, treatment and changes to your diet or medicines.
Spotted something that needs correcting? Contact One Food Forward support and include this page’s address.