CASPER
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Clinical charActeristics of young people at-riSk of biPolar disorder and bordErline personality disoRder: A pilot mixed design study
IRAS ID
321542
Contact name
Buse Beril Durdurak
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Birmingham
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 5 months, 1 days
Research summary
Bipolar Disorder (BD) and Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) share many clinical characteristics such as affective instability, impulsivity, suicidality, substance abuse, deliberate self-harm, and sleep disturbance. These overlapping symptoms make clinical differentiation challenging and lead to BD being misdiagnosed as BPD or the converse. Investigating the early signs and symptoms in leading to the development of BD and BPD could be beneficial to clarify which symptoms are the most sensitive and specific markers of these disorders in young people. To be able to do this, a methodology called Experience Sampling Method (ESM), a research procedure where participants are asked to provide self-reports of their emotions, symptoms, or environment, at different moments during their daily lives, will be used. In our study, we will ask participants who are at-risk of developing BD and BPD and also healthy controls to monitor their mood using an application on their phone called PsyMate and their sleep by wearing an actigraphy watch on their nondominant wrist for 2 consecutive weeks. Before and after these 2 week ESM period, we will also ask participants to complete some baseline questionnaires assessing various clinical characteristics such as depression, anxiety, impulsivity, affective instability, substance abuse, and childhood trauma. Another area that needs urgent investigation in these at-risk populations’ is their experiences in accessing mental health services. That is why, at the end of the study, we will ask participants if they would like to participate in the voluntary interview which will be about their subjective experiences of accessing mental health services.
The study will be conducted within Children and young people's mental health services and Forward Thinking Birmingham. This is a mixed design study which is funded by the University of Birmingham.REC name
South Central - Oxford B Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
23/SC/0245
Date of REC Opinion
19 Jul 2023
REC opinion
Unfavourable Opinion