Bipolar disorder and Social factors in Suicidality (BASIS)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The Role of Psychological and Social Factors in the Suicidal Thoughts and Acts of People who Experience Bipolar Disorder
IRAS ID
162391
Contact name
Rebecca Owen
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Manchester
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Bipolar disorder (BD) is a common, severe and enduring mental health condition. Within the UK, prevalence rates range between 1.5 and 2%. While it is possible to live alongside and/ or manage the impact of BD, for many BD is a source of considerable burden.
Suicidal thoughts, behaviours and attempts are considered to be serious health concerns. Bipolar spectrum disorders are considered serious mental health disorders and the prevalence rate of suicide in bipolar disorder has been documented as 19%. This is 12-15 times higher than the general population. Despite these elevated prevalence rates, the psychological mechanisms underlying suicide in bipolar disorder remain under-researched.
Negative perceptions of social support are said to be involved in the psychological pathways leading to suicidal thoughts and acts in those experiencing mental health disorders. However, there is a lack of studies examining suicidality from a psychosocial perspective in people who experience bipolar disorder.
The current study is the second phase of a two phase programme of research investigating the role of appraisals relating to social communication in the suicidal thoughts and acts of people who experience bipolar disorder. Phase 2 will involve administering online questionnaires (or hard copy questionnaires posted out to participants who do not have access to the internet or would prefer to complete the questionnaires by hand) to identify which psychological factors and appraisals of social factors are associated with suicidality. Participants will repeat the assessment after 4 months to give indications of which factors predict suicidality longitudinally.
Participants will also be invited to take part in a diary study, in which they will receive text messages at random time points throughout the day (no more than 10 times per day) asking them to complete a short series of questions. The diary questions will ask about social contextual factors, mood fluctuations and measures of suicidality.
REC name
North West - Liverpool Central Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/NW/1470
Date of REC Opinion
22 Dec 2014
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion