PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Khare, Satya Rashi TI - Bipolar Disorder: A Daughter’s Experience AID - 10.1370/afm.1943 DP - 2016 Sep 01 TA - The Annals of Family Medicine PG - 473--474 VI - 14 IP - 5 4099 - http://www.annfammed.org/content/14/5/473.short 4100 - http://www.annfammed.org/content/14/5/473.full SO - Ann Fam Med2016 Sep 01; 14 AB - My father suffered from bipolar disorder. His illness placed an enormous strain on our relationship which, for the most part, was filled with turbulence. Although our family physician played an integral role in supporting my parents throughout the disease, I did not receive the same support and suffered as a consequence. In this essay, I describe my father’s manic and major depressive episodes, as well as my emotions that resulted from the experience. Treating mental illness goes beyond just treating the patient but rather encompasses the family as a whole. My relationship with my father may have been different had I learned effective coping strategies through the support of my family physician.