Beating Bipolar

Description:

Beating Bipolar is a web-based psychoeducation and management system for Bipolar Disorder. The program consists of eight sessions, each focused on a key area of the disorder. The areas covered in the modules are: i) diagnosis; ii) causes; iii) medication; iv) lifestyle; v) relapse prevention and early intervention; vi) psychological approaches; vii) gender-specific considerations and viii) advice for family and carers. The modules are delivered on a fortnightly basis over a four-month period. The site is highly interactive and users can document their relapse signals for future reference. At this stage, the program is only available to individuals in Wales.

Service URL:

http://www.beatingbipolar.org

Agency Responsible:

Cardiff University.

Details

Format:

Website.

Intervention Type:

Educational (primarily educational material or psychoeducation).

Course Length:

Long (more than 5 modules). 8 modules delivered over 4 months

Support Option:

No support.

Target Audience

Primary Category:

Bipolar Disorder.

Target Audience:

Adult.

Language:

English.

Access

Fee:

Free.

Access:

Closed: Email administrator. Currently only available to individuals in Wales.

Contact Details:

bepc@cardiff.ac.uk

Research evidence

Research Trials:

1

Research RCTs:

0

Outcome Summary:

The effectiveness of Beating Bipolar has been examined in one study in which 50 participants were randomised to an intervention group plus treatment-as-usual or treatment-as-usual only group. Although no significant differences were found between the two groups on the primary outcome measure of quality of life - participants in the intervention group did show modest improvements within the psychological subsection of this measure. Further studies including a control group with no active treatment are needed in order to more clearly establish the impact of the intervention.

Recommended rating, reviewer 1:

Recommended rating, reviewer 2:

Read more about Beacon's Smiley Rating System.

Research paper citations

Evaluation evidence:
Smith, D.J., Griffiths, E., Poole, R. et al (2011) Beating Bipolar: exploratory trial of a novel Internet-based psychoeducational treatment for bipolar disorder. Bipolar Disorders, 13: 571-577.

Additional references:
Barnes, E., Simpson, S., Griffiths, E., Hood, K., Craddock, N., & Smith, D. J. (2011). Developing an online psychoeducation package for bipolar disorder. Journal of Mental Health, 20(1), 21-31.

Simpson, S., Barnes, E., Griffiths, E., Hood, K., Cohen, D., Craddock, N., Jones, I., Smith, D. J. (2009). The Bipolar Interactive Psychoeducation (BIPED) study: trial design and protocol. BMC Psychiatry, 9, 50.