Self-Binding Advance Directives in Bipolar: Phase 1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Self-binding Advance Directives (SBD) in Bipolar Affective Disorder (Bipolar): Exploring Current Practice and Stakeholder Opinions
IRAS ID
226585
Contact name
Keith Brennan
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Keith Brennan Director of Research Management
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 5 months, 31 days
Research summary
This project aims to explore opinions on how a particular type of advance agreement - a self-binding advance directive – might help people with Bipolar to plan, in advance, for times of health crisis, based on their own past experience.
Many people with Bipolar say that, when they are becoming unwell, they often lose the ability to recognise that they need treatment or hospital admission. Delays in treatment and/or admission can mean the individual is left to become more unwell and, in many cases, act in a way which is damaging to themselves. A self-binding advance directive is an agreement, written by someone with Bipolar, with the help of their care team and, if they liked, their family/friends. It would explain what usually happens when they become unwell and what sort of treatment is usually helpful. Most importantly, it would aim to make sure that a person receives this treatment, even if they no longer have the ability to recognise that it is needed.
Our group has developed a theoretical model of how a self-binding advance directive might work. Now we aim to explore the views of all the different groups of people who might be involved in putting together and implementing a self-binding advance directive.
We plan to do this by conducting a survey of members of a UK organisation for people who have Bipolar and their family and friends. We will design and send out the survey in partnership with Bipolar UK (one of the largest UK organisations for people who have Bipolar). Alongside this we plan to run focus groups for service users, family and friends and clinicians who work with people who have Bipolar. We will use these opinions to help improve the current model before we move on to try it out in practice.REC name
London - Surrey Borders Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/LO/1071
Date of REC Opinion
6 Jul 2017
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion