A Clinical Case Series

Background

Many American studies have demonstrated that Family Focused Therapy for Bipolar Disorder can reduce mood symptoms, delay time to relapse and reduce number of service user hospitalizations. The findings have yet to be replicated internationally and this is the first study to evaluate the effectiveness of family therapy for bipolar disorder in the UK. Family focussed therapy aims to provide psycho-education to increase understanding of the nature of bipolar disorder, including the origins and course of the disorder and a rationale for treatment. It also aims to assist families to establish and re-establish effective communication patterns, and provides skill building in conflict resolution.

Study Aims

This family focused clinical case series is a project designed to

1. Assess the acceptability of a 6 month (up to 18 sessions) family focused psychological intervention,
2. Provide a detailed exploration of the relationship between this intervention and

• Participant characteristics (eg Thoughts, mood, activity)
• A range of clinician (eg Symptoms, relapse, functioning) and service user (eg recovery, quality of life) defined outcomes.

Potential participants and their relatives will receive timely access to a free, six month psychological intervention delivered by a trained professional. The intervention is family focused, informed by evidence based techniques and developed in consultation with service users.