Psychosocial perspectives on the understanding and treatment of bipolar disorder
Professor Steven Jones, Health Research
1.45 pm
Bipolar disorder is a common and potentially severe mental health problem experienced by 1-5% of the population. Individuals with bipolar disorder experience both highs (mania) and lows (depression). Although many people report significant distress associated with bipolar disorder many people also highly value their bipolar experiences. Until recently much of the focus on bipolar disorder has been on biological explanations and pharmacological treatment. However, there is now a growing awareness of the important role that psychological factors (including beliefs and appraisals) play in the experience of bipolar disorder. There is also a developing evidence base for the effectiveness of psychological approaches to helping people with bipolar disorder.
This talk will briefly describe bipolar disorder before going on to describe recent progress in understanding the condition from a psychological perspective. This will lead to a consideration of recent developments in psychological therapy and of the implications of psychological research for current and future clinical practice. The talk will be illustrated with current examples of research being conducted by the Spectrum centre and will highlight the crucial role that people with bipolar disorder can have in conducting research and developing therapeutic approaches.
Biography
Steven Jones became Professor of Clinical Psychology and Director of the Spectrum Centre for Mental Health Research in the School of Health and Medicine in 2008. He qualified as a clinician and obtained a PhD from the Institute of Psychiatry in London where he then worked as a postdoctoral fellow and lecturer. After working in the NHS as a full time clinician he returned to academia in 2001 to take up a Senior Lectureship at the University of Manchester. He moved to Lancaster University in 2008 and was awarded the University's Established Researcher prize in 2009. His research focuses on the psychological aspects of bipolar disorder and psychosis. He has published widely on the development of new treatment approaches for both disorders including books for service users and the wider public. His research in Spectrum aims to highlight de-stigmatising approaches to bipolar disorder which build on the expertise of people with the diagnosis and work collaboratively with them to support recovery.