Unmet diagnostic needs in depression and bipolar disorder
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Eliciting, understanding and communicating the unmet diagnostic needs in depression and bipolar disorder in patients stratified by those with and without multiple long-term conditions
IRAS ID
309171
Contact name
William Jones
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 4 months, 1 days
Research summary
Mental illness represents the single biggest cause of disability in the UK, with one in four adults experiencing at least one diagnosable mental health problem in any given year [1]. The direct and indirect costs of mental illness in England was estimated at £119 billion for 2020 [2]. Mental health services have been under huge pressure for several years [3, 4]. It is predicted that the demands on services will significantly increase due to the COVID-19 pandemic [5], with evidence of a deterioration in mental health, coinciding with the national lockdowns and high COVID-19 cases [6].
The National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Newcastle In Vitro Diagnostics Co-operative (Newcastle MIC) has been awarded a grant to perform a study in this area. This study will focus on depression and bipolar disorder, further stratified by patients with and without multiple long-term conditions (MLTCs). We will focus on these areas, and this stratification, because of the complexity of diagnosis [7-10], characterised by wrong and missed diagnosis and a consequent significant burden to patients and healthcare systems [11-16].This study has three work-packages. In work-package 1, we will perform an unmet diagnostic needs exercise regarding depression and bipolar disorder. We will also explore how diagnostic needs interact and change in patients with MLTCs. To achieve this, we will perform interviews with clinical experts. In work-package 2, we will perform a systematic review of existing guidelines and diagnostic tests for depression and bipolar disorder, plus a search for relevant economic evaluations. In work-package 3, we will perform interviews with patients with a diagnosis of depression or bipolar disorder. The number of interviews with patients and clinical experts is dependent on information saturation (REF). Based on previous work, we expect this to be between 10-20 interviews for each group: clinical experts and patients. Work-package 1 requires HRA approval, and Work-package 3 requires HRA and REC approval.
REC name
HSC REC B
REC reference
22/NI/0083
Date of REC Opinion
13 Jul 2022
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion