Graduation Year
2017
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree
Ph.D.
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
Degree Granting Department
Social Work
Major Professor
Alison Salloum, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Mary Armstrong, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Guitele Rahill, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Nan Sook Park, Ph.D.
Keywords
mental illness, stigma, identity development, interpersonal relationships
Abstract
While early-onset bipolar disorder (EOBD) has increased in prevalence, much remains to be understood about its phenomenology. Research and treatment models remain rooted in neurobiological conceptualizations of the illness that borrow heavily from models for the traditional adult-onset form of bipolar disorder. This study utilized a transcendental phenomenological design as a first step in obtaining an understanding of the lived experience of EOBD. A purposive sample of eight participants ages 18-25 participated in semi-structured interviews that elicited information on experiences of EOBD symptomatology and course of illness, stigma, experience with healthcare and treatment, and impact on identity, interpersonal relationships, and coping responses. Transcendental phenomenological analysis was used to construct individual and composite descriptions of participants’ experience of EOBD between ages 13 and 17. Implications of findings are presented for research and treatment of EOBD, as well as social work education and policy reform.
Scholar Commons Citation
Smyth, Kristin M., "Understanding the Experience of Early-Onset Bipolar Disorder: A Phenomenological Study of Emerging Adults" (2017). USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/etd/6953
