People with bipolar disorder invited to help researchers

​People with bipolar disorder in the North West are being invited to take part in the trial of a treatment for anxiety.

The intervention, based on cognitive behavioural therapy, may reduce anxiety, and help people to find new ways to manage their anxiety.

The project is being organised by researchers and health professionals from Lancaster University’s  Spectrum Centre for Mental Health Research, the Universities of Manchester and Nottingham, the Manchester Mental Health and Social Care Trust and a group of patients with bipolar disorder from across the North West.

Debbie Mayes is a researcher at the Spectrum Centre who herself has bipolar disorder.

“I manage pretty well most of the time, because I have learnt cognitive techniques to help me, such as identifying my early warning signs, understanding my triggers and keeping to a good routine with a regular sleep pattern.”

Participants who receive the intervention treatment will have up to 10 sessions of therapy over a four-month period, with follow-up meetings and telephone calls to see how effective the therapy has been.

The therapy will be carried out by a trained psychological therapist and will be delivered at home or at another preferred location.

Debbie Mayes said: “Anxiety can be a real problem at times, so a therapy which specifically targets difficulties with anxiety in bipolar sounds a great idea. It is surprising how disabling anxiety can be, stopping me from going out at its worst so having a therapist come to my home is a really sensible idea.”

Therapy is a popular treatment for people with bipolar disorder and it provides an opportunity to talk about experiences and make an important contribution to mental health research.

If proven to be successful this trial will strengthen the case to make these treatments more widely available in the NHS.
If you would like more information about the trial, or are interested in taking part please contact Elly McGrath (Research Assistant) on 01524592977/07587880631 or email e.mcgrath@lancaster.ac.uk