Hi, I’m Ahmad. I am an Assistant Professor in King Saud University’s department of Psychology, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, but writing to you from CREST.BD’s UBC office in Vancouver. My interest in bipolar disorder (BD) started when I was doing my PhD in Lancaster University’s Spectrum Centre for Mental Health Research, and will always continue! During my PhD, I studied how some of the psychological explanations of risk for BD can be applied cross-culturally.

Two main issues grasp my interest in this mental health condition. First, when it comes to BD, there still remains many unanswered questions compared to what we know about some other severe conditions — for instance, schizophrenia. Second, I am interested in questioning the belief held by some mental health professionals, particularly in Saudi Arabia, that this condition can only be understood biologically, and that medication alone can be sufficient for managing and treating it optimally.

Work being done in the CREST.BD program of research helps tackle these two issues. This is the reason why I’m visiting CREST.BD right now — to have a closer look at the exciting research happening in the network, and to see how we can benefit from it back home in Saudi.

Resources available for individuals diagnosed with BD in Saudi have increased recently. The development of The Saudi Group for Supporting Individuals Affected by BD and their Relatives, often referred to as “A’WTHAG” — short for Bipolar Affective Disorder in Arabic — may represent a key achievement in BD support in Saudi. The National Committee for the Promotion of Mental Health also provides materials and practical support to people who live with mental health conditions like BD, their carers, and families. Finally, several social media platforms are in place where people can meet online to exchange their own experiences and stories.

I’m particularly keen on two specific areas of CREST.BD’s work: the Quality of Life in Bipolar Disorder (QoL.BD) scale (found online at www.bdqol.com), and CREST.BD’s research into self-management strategies for individuals with BD (that ties the QoL.BD scale into the strategies found on the Bipolar Wellness Centre). Both works are based on sound theoretical and empirical grounds. In collaboration with CREST.BD, I’m planning to provide an Arabic adaptation of the full version of the QoL.BD, and to explore self-management strategies used by Saudis diagnosed with BD. Hopefully this will add to the growing interest in BD among Saudi mental health professionals, and provide new tools to enhance BD treatment and care.

Version available in Arabic (عربى).