The Cognitive Remediation in Bipolar (CRiB) Study: A Feasibility Trial
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The Cognitive Remediation in Bipolar (CRiB) Study: A Feasibility Trial of Cognitive Remediation Therapy in People with Bipolar Disorder versus Treatment as Usual.
IRAS ID
168120
Contact name
Keith Brennan
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
King's College London
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
Bipolar disorder is a condition involving episodes of very low mood (known as ‘depression’), problematically elevated mood (‘mania’) and mixtures of both moods. It is common, complex, and costly, and has devastating impacts on relationships, work, and quality of life. In addition, it directly costs the NHS around £340 million every year. The more episodes a person has, the more likely they are to relapse, and for quality of life to worsen. We need to find new treatments that improve recovery and boost resilience to reduce further episodes.
People with bipolar disorder often have difficulty with thinking skills, such as concentration, memory, and planning. These problems are linked with reduced response to treatment, higher relapse rates, and more difficulties in everyday life. Similar problems in people diagnosed with schizophrenia can be helped with Cognitive Remediation Therapy (CRT). However, we don’t yet know if CRT helps people with bipolar disorder. We have planned a study to examine this uncertainty. We will recruit 60 people with a bipolar diagnosis who are not experiencing disabling symptoms currently, and randomly assign half to receive 12 weeks of CRT alongside their usual treatment, and half to their usual treatment only. We will then compare the two groups to see whether CRT is effective in improving thinking skills and everyday functioning, to obtain an idea of how large an effect is produced and whether benefits last after therapy finishes. We will also interview participants about their experience. The results will inform us how to best test CRT in a larger study.
REC name
London - Bromley Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/LO/1557
Date of REC Opinion
16 Oct 2015
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion