Table 3.

Poorly adherent bipolar patients’ suggestions on how health care providers can help support self-management (N=21)

Themes and categories	Illustrative quotations from respondents
Personalize care	“I’m not just another number, another file. Take me in personally and really try to see what I need to do, what I need to make myself better […]” [Respondent #2007]
Better communication	“[…] whatever time you have with your patient, whatever if it’s 15 minutes, 20 minutes, really try to listen to what they’re sayin’ and, maybe that will make it better for them and for me […]” [Respondent #2001]
Consistency in providers	“I’d like to have the same person that I see each time that I come. I want it to be the same person. If that person isn’t available, I’ll wait a month for an appointment […]” [Respondent #2093]
Help with coping skills	“Help me learn ways to cope with the symptoms, try to help find a way to keep me on a schedule”. [Respondent #2005]
Help with medication adherence	“Trying me on different medications and giving me some information that would explain how you’re supposed to feel so I can understand if it’s working for me […]” [Respondent #2089] “[…] I would ask her if she would consider you know letting me try something else (medication). You know they always have new stuff that come out”. [Respondent #2008]
Help with finding resources	“[…] besides talking to her, see if I can talk with uh, like a social worker, whenever I needed to, or on a weekly basis”. [Respondent #2017]