A short psychoeducation programme for people with bipolar disorder
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A short psychoeducation programme for people with bipolar disorder
IRAS ID
154782
Contact name
Tom Hughes
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Leeds and York NHS Partnership Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 9 months, 0 days
Research summary
Bipolar disorder affects around 2% of the population. It is the sixth leading cause of disability worldwide. Over a decade ago the total annual cost of bipolar disorder in the UK was estimated at over £2 billion. The risk of suicide in bipolar disorder is 20 times that of the general population. Outside acute episodes, patients experience significant subsyndromal symptoms and disability for considerable periods.
Medication is central to the management of bipolar disorder, but insufficient alone. Even when prescribed medication, over one third of patients relapse within one year, and almost two thirds in two years. The average medication non-adherence rate is 40%.
In 2008 a National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment Programme review concluded that there is reasonably good evidence that group psychoeducation is more effective than non-structured meetings for preventing manic and depressive relapses in bipolar disorder. Two of the three trials were carried out by a group in Barcelona using 21 session of group psychoeducation, each of 90 minutes. This programme has not been widely adopted. We know of no centres which offer this as part of routine care.
We think it unlikely that the resources required to provide such a programme will become widely available in the NHS, despite arguments in favour of its cost-effectiveness. Instead, we think a short version of the programme might be more widely adopted provided [1] the manual is readily available [2] the programme is acceptable to patients [3] those working outside specialist centres can deliver the programme without specialist training [4] it is efficacious in a real-world, non-specialist, secondary care NHS mental health service. The manual is available free in electronic form. This feasibility study will determine [2] – [3]. If the programme is feasible we will seek funding for a pilot RCT to determine efficacy.
REC name
London - Westminster Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/LO/2070
Date of REC Opinion
17 Nov 2014
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion