Managing Bipolar Disorder patients during COVID-19 outbreak

Digital tools allow to intervene remotely to minimize face-to-face contact without compromising care and contribute to help as many patients with bipolar dirsoerders as possible. Notwithstanding the general distress associated with a disease outbreak, the disruption of number and quality of social contacts and activities and the reduced access to treatment during quarantine, our team was able o continue to receive data regarding patients’ state, to guarantee psychoeducation, information and psychosocial support by telemedicine, to ensure mail-order dispensation of prescriptions and to offer day hospital treatment of emergencies. It resulted particularly important to investigate about suicidal ideation or potential violence in order to prevent crisis situations, to address empathy and focus on the individual resilience and the reciprocal respect and help.