THOSE behind a new foundation working to change the face of mental illness, hope community members will join them in their efforts to raise awareness of bipolar disorder as well as improve the treatment outcome of those affected.
Founded in 2010, the non-profit Pacific Bipolar Foundation is continuing to expand. Focused on public education and the dissemination of information on bipolar disorder, those involved are dedicated to improving the level of care and support that bipolar patients receive, both in the community and in hospital, and fighting stigma.
"I would like it to have a province-wide influence and to be a resource for the whole province," says foundation founder and chairman Dr. Paul Termansen, medical director of North Shore Adult Community Mental Health and Addictions Services, part of Vancouver Coastal Health. "That would be its first goal. If it expands beyond that, to the Pacific Northwest, that would be fine too."
The foundation grew out of Termansen's long-held interest in bipolar disorder. In addition to his day-today work in the field, he was involved in two recent bipolar documentaries, Not Just A Bad Day - Living with Bipolar Disorder and Family Matters: Surviving the Bipolar Journey, following the patients and families of those affected by the disorder.
He's shown the films widely and they continue to garner a strong degree of interest.
"There is a tremendous need for public education and education about bipolar disorder," says Termansen, a North Vancouver resident.
According to the foundation, bipolar disorder involves mood and cognitive changes and is a major psychiatric disability that may cause significant disruption in mental stability, physical health and lifestyle.
"It's what we call a spectrum disorder," says Termansen, adding patients' experiences therefore range in severity.
Approximately five per cent of the population is affected by bipolar disorder and Termansen suspects many more people are going undiagnosed and therefore untreated.
"It's a complicated illness with very many different manifestations and you have to be reasonably knowledgeable about how to treat it if you're going to have any degree of success. That's why we're interested in promoting education and clinical practises about dealing with bipolar (disorder)," he says.
Activities the foundation plans to undertake include ongoing education of the general public, as well as mental health professionals - for example, the dissemination of information on existing effective treatment programs, encouraging them to be adopted.
Some initiatives undertaken so far by the foundation include a survey of all the mental health teams in the Greater Vancouver area to see what services they provide specifically targeted to people with bipolar disorder.
As well, they're working on a manual to be distributed to area hospitals regarding bipolar patients' discharge from the hospital, designed to help them find their way in the community.
Eventually, the Pacific Bipolar Foundation would like to fund and participate in clinical research, with a strong focus on outcome.
"Our understanding of bipolar disorder is changing constantly and, of course, as our understanding of it changes, our treatment of it changes," says Termansen.
It's hoped the foundation will come to be viewed as an important resource by other mental health agencies.
"We're very pleased about any inquiries about educational information and about services available. If we can be of any assistance, that's our job," says Termansen.
On May 5, the foundation hosted a symposium, Building Bridges, at West Vancouver's Hollyburn Country Club, bringing together a variety of local mental health agencies to share what they're working on and to discover how they could benefit from each other's work.
"We're hoping it will lead to more co-operation between foundations, more community involvement and more information going out," says Termansen, adding based on its success, Building Bridges is hoped to become an annual event.
The foundation is also planning to host an educational event, in partnership with Vancouver Coastal Health's community mental health services, on the optimization of the treatment of bipolar disorder at the University of British Columbia's Robson Square in the fall.
Foundation representatives invite community members to get involved in the organization.
A variety of volunteer roles exist, including becoming a member of the board and joining a chapter within the foundation, Friends of Bipolar, which sees people socialize with bipolar patients.
"We are hoping to create a very large volunteer force," says Termansen.
To further generate interest by the public in the foundation, and bipolar disorder in general, they host weekly informal coffee groups on Sundays at the Starbucks location at Lonsdale Avenue and 13th Street in North Vancouver at 3 p.m.
"We have a representative or two from the foundation there at that time to be available to answer questions and Starbucks is most hospitable," says Termansen.
They hope to add additional coffee groups throughout the North Shore later this year.
The foundation was started with the support of a grant from the Sutherland Foundation. To raise funds to assist their ongoing operation, the foundation plans to host a large-scale fundraiser in the fall and ongoing monetary donations are greatly appreciated.
For more information on the Pacific Bipolar Foundation, visit pacificbipolarfoundation.com.
