Health and Clinical
Psychology Research Group Seminar
Title: Utilising Life Logging Technology to Help Prevent Relapse in Bipolar Disorder
Presenter: Dr Tanya Hanstock
Date: Monday 31/8 at 12 noon
Location: Keats Reading Room (video to Ourimbah)Date: Monday 31/8 at 12 noon
Contact: Ross.Wilkinson@newcastle.edu.au
Abstract:
Bipolar Disorder (BD) is a lifelong and often chronically relapsing mental health disorder. It is rated as the sixth most debilitating disorder worldwide. People with BD and their carers are often aware of a number of signs of an impending relapse into a depressed or elevated mood state. A number of lifestyle changes can place a person with BD at risk of a relapse. Such lifestyle events include changes in sleep/wake cycle, activity level and external stimulation. Monitoring these lifestyle changes has traditionally been conducted via subjective measures such as the Social Rhythm Metric (SRM) in Interpersonal Social Rhythm Therapy (IPSRT). IPSRT was the first psychological therapy designed especially for BD. Other ways to try and predict relapse in BD is through the client and clinician completing psychological measures. Our planned study aims to determine how lifestyle factors recorded in IPSRT and other subjective measures can be better recorded via objective and real time measures such as lifestyle logging devices. We will be examining whether the use of the Fitbit Charge HR and a specifically designed smartphone app can help individuals with BD monitor their lifestyle and help establish a pattern of change that early indicates impending relapse. We aim to find that these readily available technologies can help people with BD to stay well and remain out of hospital.
