During the follow-up visits scheduled in the BD4QoL project, the CSS team has observed that some enrolled patients, upon completing treatments, have managed to return to a lifestyle close to normalcy and resume work, albeit with limitations due to changes they had to make in their lifestyle due to the illness. However, for many of them, returning to a normal work life has proven challenging. Several found themselves unemployed because they were limited in performing certain activities required by their profession or were deemed unfit for them.

The CSS team gathered testimonies from patients who, due to work-related issues, fell into depression, expressing a reluctance to engage in activities that involved even minimal effort. For some of them, joining the BD4QoL project represented a new challenge, a sort of turning point. Participation in the project provided them with the opportunity to find new motivations and consider activities they had never been interested in before. The difference in mood was more than evident between one visit and another: in several cases, smiles and willpower returned.

These experiences make it clear to the patients themselves, their families, and the medical staff how significant the impact of the disease can be in terms of losing daily habits and self-confidence. At the same time, they encourage exploring the real usefulness of the tools developed in BD4QoL and to consider them for patients with other medical conditions.