What can bipolar patients do to help their doctors treat their condition most effectively?

Treat yourself well: Regular sleep, avoidance of drugs and alcohol, and scrupulous adherence to your medications are all very helpful. If you have social stress, psychotherapy is extremely helpful. Bring your doctor any observations you have about stresses that affect your mood, medication side effects or other factors related to what helps you feel better or worse. Hope this answer helps.

As above: Be compliance with their medication and therapy and refraining from all llliciit drug use.

Compliance: The most important thing is to work together with your doctor.. It is often helpful to keep a diary or chart of your mood and sleep patterns. I usually have patients rate their mood on a 10 point scale with 10 being the highest they have ever been and 1being the lowest they have ever been.

As above : Many things: they can be up front about their symptoms . Realize that that they have a chronic remittent illness that require on going treatment with mood stabilizer and therapy . That yes medication can have side effect , but there is no free lunch ....And if they follow their dictor's advise the sid effect can be manageable and refrain from illicit drug use ... Good luck.