A group discussion about the challenges of sleep for those living with bipolar. January Meeting: Sleep & Bipolar One of the key issues for people living with bipolar is sleep. Sometimes it’s the struggle to fall asleep or sometimes it’s the consequences of not sleeping that can make life difficult. At our recent all-ages meeting, we held a group discussion to share our challenges as well as what has worked for us.  Challenges There are many factors that contribute to problems

A wonderful night of good company and festive cheer! December Meeting: Holiday Event Last week we came together to celebrate the holiday season with our annual December Fun Night, and it was truly a wonderful evening for everyone who joined us. The night was filled with delicious food, exciting raffle prizes, and a spirited trivia game that brought out everyone’s competitive side. It was the perfect way to come together and share some festive cheer. We’re also thrilled to sha

Lessons on nutrition that can benefit mental health. November Meeting: Nutrition Our November meeting welcomed guest speaker Katherine Paterson, a specialist dietition from Norwich. During her talk, Katherine highlighted the importance of good nutrition and covered key nutrients and food groups needed in our daily diet. Her highly informative presentation included suggestions for healthy food options and further tips for maintaining a healthy diet. For more information, downl

Learn more about the connection between metabolism and mental health. October Meeting: Metabolic Psychiatry We had the pleasure of welcoming Dr Iain Campbell from Edinburgh University’s Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences to our October meeting. Iain delivered an excellent presentation about groundbreaking research on Metabolic Psychiatry and how he manages his symptoms of bipolar with a ketogenic diet. We also examined the strong connection between creativity and bipolar diso

Advocate for the treatment you want when you are unwell. September Meeting Summary: Advanced Statements At our September meeting we were joined by Kathleen Taylor, Engagement and Participation Manager at the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland (MWC), and Gordon McInnes from the Glasgow Mental Health Network. Kathleen gave us a brief overview of the support available to individuals via the MWC and Gordon delivered a comprehensive presentation on Advance Statements. What is

Exploring the intersection of bipolar disorder and nurturing supportive relationships. August Meeting Summary: Relationships & Bipolar...

July Meeting Summary: Benefits At July's meeting, Advocard's long-standing benefits guru, Arlene Astley gave us a run-through of the many...

We had a fascinating talk at last week's all-ages group meeting from Drs. Raahat Manrai and Duncan Swiffen from the AMBIENT-BD research project which is just starting at the University of Edinburgh's Division of Psychiatry.

We welcomed long-time self-management trainer Dorrie M. who picked a few examples of triggers and how to have an action plan ready to deal with them when they come up.

Monitoring our mood using bipolar mood scales or mood tracking apps can help us recognise Early Warning Signs, share mood patterns with...

Graham Morgan from the Mental Welfare Commission gave us a talk on the relationships with professionals which was followed by a discussion.

We welcomed Nick Bell to our group who spoke about the Edinburgh Crisis Centre: 24/7 support for mental health distress in Edinburgh.

Every year we ask our community how useful they thought our activities were and what they would like to see happen in the following year.

Our members give tips on what helps and what is a problem for getting good sleep when living with bipolar.

We know from experience that this time of year can be difficult for many people, particularly when you add bipolar into the mix.