STABILISE v1.0
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The clinical and cost effectiveness of behavioural therapy for interepisode bipolar symptoms (STABILISE): A randomised, controlled feasibility trial.
IRAS ID
335983
Contact name
Kim Wright
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Exeter
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 5 months, 14 days
Research summary
People with bipolar disorder typically experience occasional periods of very high or low mood and energy that can go on for weeks or months. In between these periods some people feel quite well. Others may experience ongoing low mood and / or mood instability. Currently we do not have a psychological (talking) therapy available that focusses on these "in between" ongoing symptoms in particular, even though they can cause a great deal of distress and difficulty. This study tests a new therapy which brings together therapy approaches for low mood and for mood instability into a single package for people with ongoing bipolar symptoms. The aim of the study is to see whether this new therapy seems acceptable to the people who receive it, and to see whether a larger trial, testing the effectiveness of the therapy, would be possible to run. To do this we are inviting 60 people with ongoing bipolar symptoms to take part. Half will be offered the new therapy in addition to their usual care; the other half will not receive the new therapy and will continue with their usual care. Whether people are offered the therapy is decided randomly. Our participants will be invited to complete questionnaires at the start of the study and at 3, 7 and 12 months after starting. They will also answer frequent questions about their mood and activities over a period of 10 days, at several points during their participation. Some of the participants will be invited to an interview to talk about how they found the therapy. The findings will help us to improve the therapy and to see whether it would be possible and worthwhile to run a larger study that will tell us whether the new therapy can make a meaningful difference to people.
REC name
East of England - Cambridge East Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
24/EE/0018
Date of REC Opinion
18 Jan 2024
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion