Honest Open Proud for Psychotic and Bipolar Disorder in Norway (HOP-NOR)

University of Oslo (UIO)

Status: Enrolling

Conditions: Psychotic Disorders; Disclosure; Bipolar Disorder

Treatments: Behavioral: Honest Open Proud program

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT06384755

645788 (Other Identifier)

2022_HE2_409659 (Other Grant/Funding Number)

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purpose of this pilot study is to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability and efficacy of a Norwegian adaptation of the group-based intervention 'Honest Open Proud' among adults with psychotic and bipolar disorders in an outpatient setting.

Full description

Because people with mental illness experience both public and personal stigma, which is related to lower levels of recovery and wellbeing, it is common to struggle with decisions regarding potential disclosure of mental health difficulties or diagnoses. There are pros and cons with both disclosure and secrecy. Disclosure can lead to social support, followed by improved mental health and reduced public stigma, but also stigmatization and social exclusion. Secrecy can prevent stigmatization but may also lead to social isolation and thus poorer mental health and increased public stigma. Therefore, people with mental illness need help to make strategic decisions about whether, and if so, to whom, when and how they wish to disclose their mental health problems. As contact with other people with mental health difficulties is crucial to anti-stigma interventions, people with mental illness could benefit from meeting peers, especially as role models. This suggests that peer facilitators could be an important feature in a program aiming to help people with mental illness handle stigma and challenges related to disclosure. The Honest Open Proud (HOP) program was developed for this purpose. Because people with psychotic and bipolar disorders experience particularly high levels of both public and personal stigma, which negatively impacts their recovery rates, they may be especially in need of the HOP program.

The investigators aim to evaluate whether a Norwegian adaptation of the HOP group program, which is facilitated by peers, is feasible and acceptable for people with psychotic and bipolar disorders in an outpatient setting. Moreover, whether it helps them handle stigma and disclosure related decisions.

The investigators propose a pilot randomized controlled trial, comparing an intervention group receiving a 6-week Norwegian adaptation of the HOP program to a waiting list control group. Both groups receive treatment as usual. The main research question is whether this intervention is feasible and acceptable. However, efficacy measures tapping change in stigma and disclosure distress, as well as recovery and wellbeing, from before to after the intervention, were included. The aim is to find what effect sizes can be expected in future larger studies in Norway, rather than to find significant differences in effect sizes.

Enrollment: 40 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 65 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Diagnosed current psychotic (F 20) or bipolar disorder (F 30) according to International Classification of Diseases 10th Revision (ICD-10)
• Age 18 to 65
• Ability to provide written informed consent.
• Fluent in Norwegian (needed for self-report measures)
• Experience difficulties with stigma and disclosure regarding mental illness.

Exclusion criteria

• Intellectual disability
• Organic disorders

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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40 participants in 2 patient groups

Intervention group

Experimental group

Description:

Intervention group: receives the HOP program consisting of four 2-hour sessions divided between week 1, week 2, week 3 and week 6, in groups of 4-10 participants, using a Norwegian adaptation of HOP workbook. The intervention group also receives treatment as usual, consisting of weekly or monthly appointments with a mental health care professional at an outpatient unit in the public mental health care service. The appointments can involve medication management, psychoeducation, support therapy or psychotherapy.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Honest Open Proud program

Waiting list control group

No Intervention group

Description:

Waiting list control group: receives only treatment as usual, consisting of weekly or monthly appointments with a mental health care professional at an outpatient unit in the public mental health care service. The appointments can involve medication management, psychoeducation, support therapy or psychotherapy. They are offered the HOP program after the trial.