Background: Although research has been done on many aspects of bipolar disorder, research has not examined the individual living experiences of college students with bipolar disorder. Research looks at the
Methods: In-depth interviews were used to learn the details of the experience of attending college with bipolar disorder. Three volunteers came forward to be interviewed. They had a bipolar disorder diagnosis, and are current students at a southern university. Questions focused on the lived experience of being a student with bipolar disorder, and probing questions were used to learn more about each participant’s particular experience. The first two interviews had primary codes applied, then secondary codes, then themes. The third interview was done to confirm or repute the results of the first two interviews
Results: The results of this study found three major themes throughout the three participants’ interviews. The first theme was ‘supports’, which included categories of medication and treatments; family, co-worker, and church support systems; disability accommodations; mania as a support; and ideas the participants had that could further help students. The second theme was ‘barriers’, which included categories of suicidal thoughts and actions, stigma and judgment, the difficulty involved in diagnosing and treating bipolar disorder, and ideas from the participants on things that do not help them to have success in school. The third theme, “It’s part of who I am” focuses on the fact that bipolar disorder has contributed to who they are as people at this stage in their life. Categories for this theme include grades, school as therapy, choosing where to live, staying away from campus, “It’s part of who I am”, and “at the beginning it’s just about accepting it”.
Conclusion: Occupational therapists can help clients with bipolar disorder become aware of and access accommodation services in higher education, when that client has a goal of successfully attending college. Occupational therapists can also advocate for a larger role on college campuses to help students with bipolar disorder through group intervention and to help them with medication management.
","abstract_html":"<p>Background: Although research has been done on many aspects of bipolar disorder, research has not examined the individual living experiences of college students with bipolar disorder. Research looks at the </p> <p>Methods: In-depth interviews were used to learn the details of the experience of attending college with bipolar disorder. Three volunteers came forward to be interviewed. They had a bipolar disorder diagnosis, and are current students at a southern university. Questions focused on the lived experience of being a student with bipolar disorder, and probing questions were used to learn more about each participant’s particular experience. The first two interviews had primary codes applied, then secondary codes, then themes. The third interview was done to confirm or repute the results of the first two interviews </p> <p>Results: The results of this study found three major themes throughout the three participants’ interviews. The first theme was ‘supports’, which included categories of medication and treatments; family, co-worker, and church support systems; disability accommodations; mania as a support; and ideas the participants had that could further help students. The second theme was ‘barriers’, which included categories of suicidal thoughts and actions, stigma and judgment, the difficulty involved in diagnosing and treating bipolar disorder, and ideas from the participants on things that do not help them to have success in school. The third theme, “It’s part of who I am” focuses on the fact that bipolar disorder has contributed to who they are as people at this stage in their life. Categories for this theme include grades, school as therapy, choosing where to live, staying away from campus, “It’s part of who I am”, and “at the beginning it’s just about accepting it”. </p> <p>Conclusion: Occupational therapists can help clients with bipolar disorder become aware of and access accommodation services in higher education, when that client has a goal of successfully attending college. Occupational therapists can also advocate for a larger role on college campuses to help students with bipolar disorder through group intervention and to help them with medication management. </p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Massie, Taylor Lynn"],"institution":"Eastern Kentucky University","degree_name":"Master of Science (MS)","degree_level":"Master's","degree_discipline":"Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2016,"date_issued":"2016-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2016-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:15:32Z","subjects":["Bipolar Disorder","College experience","higher education","mental health","non-traditional","women","Mental Disorders","Occupational Therapy"],"languages":[],"rights":["Copyright 2016 Taylor Lynn Massie"],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://encompass.eku.edu/etd/394","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Massie, Taylor Lynn"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["Encompass Digital Archive, Eastern Kentucky University"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Master Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Master's"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science (MS)"]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["Eastern Kentucky University"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Bipolar Disorder","College experience","higher education","mental health","non-traditional","women","Mental Disorders","Occupational Therapy"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Copyright 2016 Taylor Lynn Massie"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://encompass.eku.edu/etd/394"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Background: Although research has been done on many aspects of bipolar disorder, research has not examined the individual living experiences of college students with bipolar disorder. Research looks at the
Methods: In-depth interviews were used to learn the details of the experience of attending college with bipolar disorder. Three volunteers came forward to be interviewed. They had a bipolar disorder diagnosis, and are current students at a southern university. Questions focused on the lived experience of being a student with bipolar disorder, and probing questions were used to learn more about each participant’s particular experience. The first two interviews had primary codes applied, then secondary codes, then themes. The third interview was done to confirm or repute the results of the first two interviews
Results: The results of this study found three major themes throughout the three participants’ interviews. The first theme was ‘supports’, which included categories of medication and treatments; family, co-worker, and church support systems; disability accommodations; mania as a support; and ideas the participants had that could further help students. The second theme was ‘barriers’, which included categories of suicidal thoughts and actions, stigma and judgment, the difficulty involved in diagnosing and treating bipolar disorder, and ideas from the participants on things that do not help them to have success in school. The third theme, “It’s part of who I am” focuses on the fact that bipolar disorder has contributed to who they are as people at this stage in their life. Categories for this theme include grades, school as therapy, choosing where to live, staying away from campus, “It’s part of who I am”, and “at the beginning it’s just about accepting it”.
Conclusion: Occupational therapists can help clients with bipolar disorder become aware of and access accommodation services in higher education, when that client has a goal of successfully attending college. Occupational therapists can also advocate for a larger role on college campuses to help students with bipolar disorder through group intervention and to help them with medication management.
"]},{"key":"dc:format","label":"Dc Format","values":["application/pdf"]},{"key":"dc:source","label":"Dc Source","values":["Encompass Digital Archive: Online Theses and Dissertations"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Experiences Of Non-Traditional Female College Students With Bipolar Disorder"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:creator":["Massie, Taylor Lynn"],"dc:description.abstract":["Background: Although research has been done on many aspects of bipolar disorder, research has not examined the individual living experiences of college students with bipolar disorder. Research looks at the
Methods: In-depth interviews were used to learn the details of the experience of attending college with bipolar disorder. Three volunteers came forward to be interviewed. They had a bipolar disorder diagnosis, and are current students at a southern university. Questions focused on the lived experience of being a student with bipolar disorder, and probing questions were used to learn more about each participant’s particular experience. The first two interviews had primary codes applied, then secondary codes, then themes. The third interview was done to confirm or repute the results of the first two interviews
Results: The results of this study found three major themes throughout the three participants’ interviews. The first theme was ‘supports’, which included categories of medication and treatments; family, co-worker, and church support systems; disability accommodations; mania as a support; and ideas the participants had that could further help students. The second theme was ‘barriers’, which included categories of suicidal thoughts and actions, stigma and judgment, the difficulty involved in diagnosing and treating bipolar disorder, and ideas from the participants on things that do not help them to have success in school. The third theme, “It’s part of who I am” focuses on the fact that bipolar disorder has contributed to who they are as people at this stage in their life. Categories for this theme include grades, school as therapy, choosing where to live, staying away from campus, “It’s part of who I am”, and “at the beginning it’s just about accepting it”.
Conclusion: Occupational therapists can help clients with bipolar disorder become aware of and access accommodation services in higher education, when that client has a goal of successfully attending college. Occupational therapists can also advocate for a larger role on college campuses to help students with bipolar disorder through group intervention and to help them with medication management.
"],"dc:format":["application/pdf"],"dc:identifier":["https://encompass.eku.edu/etd/394"],"dc:publisher":["Encompass Digital Archive, Eastern Kentucky University"],"dc:rights":["Copyright 2016 Taylor Lynn Massie"],"dc:source":["Encompass Digital Archive: Online Theses and Dissertations"],"dc:subject":["Bipolar Disorder","College experience","higher education","mental health","non-traditional","women","Mental Disorders","Occupational Therapy"],"dc:title":["Experiences Of Non-Traditional Female College Students With Bipolar Disorder"],"dc:type":["Master Thesis"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy"],"thesis:degree_level":["Master's"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science (MS)"],"thesis:institution_name":["Eastern Kentucky University"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:15:32Z"}