Pilot Trial of Peer Support for Bipolar Disorder

Kaiser Permanente

Status: Completed

Conditions: Bipolar Disorder

Treatments: Behavioral: Peer support program

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02404246

1R34MH073605-01

Details and patient eligibility

About

This pilot effectiveness trial will evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness of a structured peer support program based on the Certified Peer Specialist Program of the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA).

Full description

Bipolar disorder is a chronic and often disabling illness affecting 1-2% of US adults. Peer support programs are an innovative and promising model to reverse demoralization, activate consumers to seek more effective care, develop consumers' self-management skills, and restore participation in work and other social roles. Peer-led programs can address key barriers to dissemination of effective psychosocial treatment. This pilot effectiveness trial will evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness of a structured peer support program based on the Certified Peer Specialist Program of the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA). Following the philosophy of recovery, the intervention focuses on:

• Motivating consumers to develop an expectation of recovery
• Encouraging regular self-monitoring of mood symptoms
• Training consumers to develop self-management skills for symptom control and problem solving
• Activating consumers to be more informed partners in care and more effective self-advocates
• Motivating and assisting consumers to reclaim work and other rewarding social roles

The investigators will use a rigorous research design to evaluate how structured peer support promotes core values of mental health recovery. Impact of the intervention will be judged across a range of outcomes:

• Long-term control of mood disorder symptoms
• Optimal participation in work and other rewarding social roles
• Consumers' perceptions of autonomy and full participation in the treatment process Findings from this pilot study will inform the development of a full-scale effectiveness trial to include a broader range of participants and health care settings.

Enrollment: 88 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• GHC members aged 18 and over with Bipolar Disorder Type 1 or Type 2 and at least 6 weeks during the past 3 months with a depression or mania/hypomania Psychiatric Status Rating of 3 or greater (indicating significant symptoms at least half of the time). Potential participants will not be excluded because of medical, psychiatric, or substance use comorbidity.

Exclusion criteria

• Children under age 18.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Single Group Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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88 participants in 2 patient groups

Intervention Arm

Experimental group

Description:

Intervention evaluated the feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness of a structured peer support intervention based on the Certified Peer Specialist Program of the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA).

Treatment:

Behavioral: Peer support program

Usual Care

No Intervention group

Description:

Usual Care