The Society requires that members volunteer some of their time to help others. And, it insists on clinical therapy in conjunction with medical treatment. Motivation and focus comes for these patients by constant reminding, helping other bipolar individuals. It helps them understand themselves, and conquer not only a knowledge about their own compliance, but helping others is a distracting influence from their own current symptomology as they are reminded of what they must do for themselves, too. The members of the Society for Manic Depression are a very high functioning group of professionals, working people, students, and mothers, who have developed this project as a way to bring other bipolar into a high functioning state of remission.
Bipolar patients can be a very demanding and manipulative kind of client.
They are often afraid to be honest. They also tend to make many phone calls after their appointment, to answer simple questions they could find if they knew where to read about their disorder. Or, if they had someone explaining the most basic, simple things. And, questions that aren't answered simply, and sometimes the answers aren't even believed until said by someone with the same disorder. The Society follows APA Guidelines for Ethical Conduct.