Resources For Bipolar Disorder

Find helpful resources for understanding and managing bipolar disorder, including an online test, helplines, treatment and therapy services, information and support, apps, podcasts, TED Talks, and books.

Online Bipolar Disorder Test

While only a medical professional can accurately give a diagnosis, the internet has made it easy to take online screenings that can help give you a better idea of whether or not you have a bipolar disorder.

Helplines

In the U.S.: Call the NAMI HelpLine at 1-800-950-6264 or find DBSA Chapters/Support Groups in your area. (Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance)

UK: Call the peer support line at 0333 323 3880 and leave a message for a return call or Find a Support Group near you. (Bipolar UK)

Australia: Call the Sane Helpline at 1800 187 263 or find a local Support Group. (Bipolar Australia)

Canada: Visit Finding Help for links to provincial helplines and support groups. (Mood Disorders Society of Canada)

Information And Support

Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) Peer-based (patients talking to patients) services and resources related to depression and bipolar disorder. 

National Alliance on Mental Illness or NAMI works to support and educate the public about various mental disorders, with the goal of improving the quality of life for all people diagnosed with mental illness.

Blog Posts

• DBT For Bipolar: How To Self-Manage Bipolar Disorder Using Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)?
• 3 Early Signs of Mania: Understanding the Manic Prodrome
• 5 Signs Your Depression Might Actually Be Bipolar Disorder

Apps

Moodfit (Android/iphone):  a free mental health app whose tools and insight are meant to “shape up” your mood. Moodfit also helps you learn new skills, like gratitude and mindfulness, in just a few minutes per day. 

MoodMission (Android/iphone): the app helps people dealing with stress, anxiety, or depression. It recommends “missions” based on how the user is feeling. These missions include:

• Emotion-based activities like breathing exercises
• Behavior-based activities like learning how to knit, crochet, or sew
• Physical activities such as push-ups
• Thought-based activities such as learning how to reframe negative thoughts

Headspace (Android/iphone): a meditation app that can help you learn how to live mindfully with a variety of themed sessions on everything from stress and sleep to focus and anxiety.

Breathwrk (iphone): The app presents a collection of breathing exercises based on your goal: falling asleep, feeling relaxed, feeling energized, and alleviating stress.

Bipolar Disorder Podcasts

• Inside Bipolar — Gabe Howard & Dr. Nicole Washington
  Click here
  One of the strongest current podcasts specifically about bipolar disorder. It combines the lived experience of Gabe Howard with the clinical perspective of psychiatrist Dr. Nicole Washington. Topics include mania, depression, hypomania, medication, relationships, work, hospitalization, intrusive thoughts, relapse, and diagnosis. It remains active in 2026.
• This Is Bipolar — Shaley Hoogendoorn
  Click here
  A popular bipolar podcast combining lived experience with conversations with clinicians, researchers, and other people living with bipolar disorder. Episodes discuss bipolar II, hypomania, depression, mixed episodes, relationships, work, parenting, shame, and recovery. It continues to release new episodes in 2026.
• I’m Bipolar. Now What? — Louise Barnett
  Click here
  An active podcast focused on what comes after receiving a bipolar diagnosis. Topics include medication, therapy, routines, addiction, relationships, stability, mania, depression, and building a meaningful life while managing bipolar disorder.
• The Upside of Bipolar: Conversations on the Road to Wellness
  Click here
  A current weekly podcast focused on practical bipolar management. Episodes discuss early warning signs, recovering after episodes, daily routines, relationships, treatment, changing unhelpful beliefs, and maintaining stability without expecting perfection.

• How to Live With Bipolar Disorder — Speaking of Psychology
  Click here
  Psychologist and bipolar researcher Dr. David Miklowitz joins writer Terri Cheney to explain bipolar I, bipolar II, mania, hypomania, depression, diagnosis, medication, psychotherapy, family support, and what long-term management can look like.
• Bipolar II Disorder & CBT — MyCBT
  Click here
  An episode focused specifically on bipolar II. It explains hypomania, depressive episodes, diagnosis, and ways CBT strategies can support treatment and help someone respond differently to thoughts and behaviors connected with mood episodes.

TED & TEDx Talks About Bipolar Disorder

• What Is Bipolar Disorder? — Helen M. Farrell
  Click here
  One of the most watched TED resources about bipolar disorder, with millions of views. It gives a clear introduction to mania, depression, possible causes, diagnosis, and treatment.
• Finding Balance in Bipolar — Ellen Forney
  Click here
  Artist and author Ellen Forney discusses receiving a bipolar diagnosis, fears about losing her creativity, treatment, and the practical system she developed for maintaining greater stability.
• The Lure of Mania: Achievement and Bipolar Disorder — Thomas Richardson
  Click here
  Psychologist Thomas Richardson examines why mania and hypomania can be difficult to give up. Increased confidence, energy, ideas, productivity, and ambition may initially feel rewarding, even when the episode eventually leads to serious consequences.
• From Broken to Blessed on the Bipolar Spectrum — Sara Schley
  Click here
  A personal talk about living with bipolar disorder, challenging stigma, receiving support, and building a meaningful life without treating the diagnosis as someone’s entire identity.

Books