Imagery, Appraisals and Emotional Regulation in Bipolar Disorder
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Investigating intrusive imagery, appraisals and positive mood states in Bipolar Disorder.
IRAS ID
162992
Contact name
Rose Knight
Contact email
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 9 months, 29 days
Research summary
The main aim of this study is to investigate some of the reasons for changes in mood in people with Bipolar Disorder (BP). Psychological theories have suggested a number of reasons for changes in mood in BP. These relate to the way people make sense of information from inside the body (internal information), such as changes in heart rate, fatigue, thoughts, and feelings. One theory suggests that an important piece of information from inside the mind is ‘intrusive imagery’, that is, things that you see in your minds’ eye that pop into your mind without obvious explanation. Another theory suggests that these images may affect mood, only if a person with BP interprets them in an extreme way, such as seeing themselves as a successful comedian and believing they can achieve this. Some psychologists argue that the way a person with BP makes sense of the image affects the way they manage their emotions, resulting in an increase or decrease in mood.
Therefore, this study will compare mental images to verbal thoughts to see how these affect symptoms. The way people make sense of these mental images will also be investigated, to see if this affects mood more than just seeing an image alone.
Also, the study will investigate whether people make sense of these images to mean both 'positive' and 'negative' things. For example, a person may think 'this means I'm going to achieve this' and/or 'I cannot do this, people will see I'm a failure' in response to seeing the image. A person with BP could have either, or both of these thoughts, which may result in mood swings. The study will try to investigate whether people have both positive and negative thoughts about the image and how this affects mood.
REC name
London - Camberwell St Giles Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/LO/1336
Date of REC Opinion
18 Sep 2015
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion