Life Charting for Patients

About Life Charting

Would you like to be able to keep track of all aspects of your bipolar illness on one simple form? Life charts have proven to be invaluable aids in managing bipolar illness for thousands of patients. Download them below.

In the past you have probably been asked many questions about your illness by doctors and/or therapists, and by family members or friends who were concerned about your well-being. It can be difficult, however, to remember things on the spot, and important facts could be left out that would be useful for your doctor or therapist to know when trying to decide on a next step for treatment. You already know that you benefit from being an informed and knowledgeable participant in your treatment process. We think that the life chart can be a valuable tool in helping you organize and visually present the past course of your illness.

By constructing your own life chart, you are creating a portable psychiatric history of your illness in the form of an easily understandable graph or picture that you and your physician can review together, change where necessary, consult when important decisions about your treatment are being made, and continue to use as a way of monitoring your current course of illness and treatment response through daily prospective life-charting.

Downloading Life Chart Forms and Manuals:

The patient life chart manuals and forms are in Adobe Acrobat *.pdf form. Adobe Acrobat Reader is a free program that you can download from the internet at: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html

Patient Prospective Forms and Manuals, for charting your current illness and medications:

The most user-friendly version of the mood chart for charting your ongoing illness, medications, and any side effects: Monthly Mood Chart Personal Calendar

The National Institute of Mental Health Life Charting Method Forms:

Patient Prospective Form

Patient Prospective Manual

Patient Retrospective Forms and Manuals, describing your past history of illness:

Patient Retrospective Form

Patient Retrospective Manual