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Bipolar disorder

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Where to find mental health information and access to care »

Family Navigation Project at Sunnybrook

eMentalHealth

  • find mental health services, help and support in your community
  • ementalhealth.ca

ConnexOntario

211Toronto

  • service database
  • 24/7 community information and referral helplines
  • 211toronto.ca

Central Health Line

Homelessness & mental health: Toronto North Support Services

  • support services for vulnerable individuals on the street and in shelters
  • tnss.ca

Where to find clinical supports at Sunnybrook »


Crisis supports »

Ontario Association of Suicide Prevention

  • helpful links for crisis support
  • educational information
  • ospn.ca

Distress and Crisis Ontario

  • helpful links for crisis support
  • monthly newsletter
  • dcontario.org

Drop-in sessions and classes »


Drop-in resources for youth »


Diagnostic information and resources »

International Society for Bipolar Disorders

  • resources for patients and caregivers
  • information about cognition, pregnancy and more
  • isbd.org

Mood Disorders Association of Ontario

  • free peer support and recovery programs for patients and families
  • diagnostic information
  • mooddisorders.ca

Canadian Mental Health Association

  • links to information and community support services
  • cmha.ca

Canadian Network for Mood and Anxiety Treatments

Balanced Mind Parent Network

  • a program of the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance
  • education resources and parent online support community
  • dbsalliance.org/dmpn

Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance

National Alliance on Mental Illness

Centre for Addiction and Mental Health

Anxiety and Depression Association of America

  • helpful diagnostic information and links
  • adaa.org

American Psychiatric Association

Helping Other Parents Everywhere (HOPE)

  • support and self-help groups for parents, guardians and relatives of young adults
  • hope4parents.ca

Informational websites for youth »


Videos and podcasts »


Out of Darkness Multimedia Project »


Booklets, fact sheets, and web resources »


Apps »

Disclaimer: we have not evaluated these apps. They are listed in alphabetical order, not order of effectiveness.

Calm - guided mindfulness meditation for smartphones and tablets; $13.99/month

Headspace - guided meditation for smartphones and tablets; free 10 day trial then $12.95/month Read more about Headspace: "The Science of Meditation" and "HeadSpace Research"

MediSafe - medication reminder for smartphones and tablets; $6.99

MoodKit - Cognitive Behavioural Therapy app for iPhone and iPad; $6.99

Pacifica - holistic tools to address stress, anxiety and depression for smartphones, tablets and web; free 7 day trial then $5.49/month

SuperBetter - helps build personal resilience for smartphones, tablets and web; free

T2 Mood Tracker - monitor and track emotional health for smartphones and tablets; free

What’s My M3 - mood tracker for patients and clinicians to monitor trends over time for smartphones and tablets; free


Self-help books »

Available in the Sunnybrook library:

  • The Bipolar Disorder Survival Guide: What you and your family need to know, 2nd Edition (Miklowitz, Guilford Press: 2011)
  • Coping with Bipolar Disorder : a CBT-informed guide to living with manic depression (Jones, Hawyard and Lam, Oneworld Publications: 2009)
  • Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression, Second Edition (Segal, Williams and Teasdale, Guilford Press: 2013)

Not available in the Sunnybrook library:

  • Mind Over Mood, Second Edition: Change How You Feel by Changing the Way You Think (Greenberger and Padesky, Guilford Press: 2015)
  • The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook for Bipolar Disorder (Van Dijk, New Harbinger: 2009)
  • Living with Someone Who’s Living with Bipolar Disorder: A Practical Guide for Family, Friends, and Coworkers (Lowe and Cohen, Jossey-Bass: 2010)
  • This Fragile Life: A Mother’s Story of a Bipolar Son (Pierce-Baker: 2012)
  • Bipolar Disorder, Second Edition: A Family-Focused Treatment Approach (Miklowitz, Guilford Press: 2010)
  • New Hope for Children and Teens with Bipolar Disorder (Birmaher, Harmony: 2004)

Informational books »

Available in the Sunnybrook library:

  • Understanding Mental Disorders: A Patient and Family Resource (American Psychiatric Association: 2015)

Not available in the Sunnybrook library:

  • An Unquiet Mind (Redfield Jamison, Vintage: 1997)

News & media »

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Last updated: July 2021