ABSTRACT
Introduction This chapter will focus on bipolar disorder with a global perspective and will consider the social and cultural concepts that shape how nurses practice. It will endeavor to deconstruct some of the misconceptions that are buried beneath centuries of mythical rubble and will allow each reader to rebuild a practice of nursing that is culturally sensitive and clinically competent wherever they may live and/or work. A historical overview of the spectrum of bipolarity will provide a background for understanding how stigma and misconceptions have led to the marginalization of individuals and their families as well as suggestions for how to approach assessment, management and the potential referral of the individual who presents with the disorder’s signs and symptoms with a focus on strategies in low-and middle-income countries.
