ABSTRACT
Introduction: Beyond a significant psychological burden in lives of patients with bipolar disorders, the COVID-19 outbreak created a significant obstacle in accessibility to mental health services, which raised a need for a country-wide network of healthcare providers for bipolar disorders in Turkey. The Bipolar Disorders Chapter of Turkey organized a training program for excellence in diagnosis and management of bipolar disorders in order to train early career psychiatrists who carry out mental services all over the country. Method: We announced a training program consisting of four modules including interactive Zoom lessons giving the theoretical baseline 48 hours), and a supervision module that includes case discussions with experts (96 hours). The lectures and discussions were moderated by leading specialists in bipolar disorders in Turkey. The theoretical modules focused on diagnosis and classification, pharmacological treatment, psychosocial interventions, and special populations (elders, pregnants, patients with comorbidity etc.) in bipolar disorders. Results: We trained 40 early career psychiatrists (14 men, 26 women;between ages of 27-40) from 18 different cities of Turkey. 37 of them have successfully completed the four modules, passed the final examination, and qualified for the supervision module. Most participants agreed that the program enhanced their clinical skills perfectly (satisfaction over 90%). Conclusion: This might be a good example of a postgraduate training program for clinicians serving patients with bipolar disorders. Such training programs might create a basis for building country-wide networks of healthcare professionals for bipolar disorders.