Catch up on the latest news from the BDRN team. You can also read our latest newsletter.
In May 2020, one of our BDRN research team members, Dr Katie Lewis received the news that she was awarded a Sir Henry Wellcome Postdoctoral Fellowship. This scheme offers recently qualified postdoctoral researchers the opportunity to start independent research careers, working in some of the best research environments in the world. During her fellowship, Katie Read More …
Our university campuses are closed but the BDRN team has managed to carry on working throughout the pandemic…thanks to email, phone and video-conferencing. Like so many others we have been working remotely for 3 months now, which continues to be successful despite the challenges. We all meet together via video at least once every week, Read More …
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues BDRN True Colours is monitoring the impact of the crisis on individuals with mood disorders, many of whom will be faced with a number of challenges during this difficult period. Many BDRN participants are currently monitoring their mood with the True Colours weekly online mood monitoring tool as part of Read More …
A number of previous research studies have shown higher rates alcohol abuse and dependence among individuals with bipolar disorder compared to the general population. Little however is known about alcohol use more widely among individuals with the disorder. In a recently published study we examined patterns of lifetime heaviest average weekly alcohol consumption levels in Read More …
Sleep problems are common in people who have bipolar disorder, but recent research suggests sleep plays a different role depending on which type of bipolar disorder a person has (i.e. bipolar type 1 or type 2). We therefore investigated whether people with different bipolar disorder subtypes differed in their genetic risk for different sleep characteristics. Read More …
Our research group has spent many years investigating the factors associated with the occurrence of mood episodes in the period following childbirth (postpartum) among women with mood disorders. In a recent published study of 50 women with bipolar disorder, we compared the symptom profiles of episodes of mania that occurred following childbirth to a comparison Read More …
In these unprecedented times, today on World Bipolar Day, the BDRN team is thinking of all of those individuals throughout the world living with bipolar disorder and other mental health conditions who will be profoundly affected at this very difficult time. We were planning local community events to mark today but instead we are writing Read More …
Women with bipolar disorder are particularly vulnerable to developing both postpartum psychosis and postpartum depression.Research has shown that childhood trauma may increase risk of postnatal depression in women without a history of mental illness and in women who have unipolar major depression. However, this relationship had not been investigated in women who have bipolar disorder. Read More …
Over the years, many BDRN participants have completed questionnaires asking about aspects of personality and thinking style such as self-esteem, impulsivity and perfectionism. Our previous research has shown these aspects of personality to be associated with having a mood disorder. Recently, we conducted the first study to investigate whether these factors are also associated with Read More …
In December 2019, one of our PhD research students, Kim Caldwell delivered a seminar at the Midlands Partnership Trust in Stafford, where she presented some of her research findings on illness perceptions in bipolar disorder. The seminar was very well attended by clinical staff from various specialities, and Kim was delighted to have the opportunity Read More …
