How do I know if I have bipolar? What are the common signs of bipolar disorder Expand Bipolar affects everyone differently and can be difficult to diagnose, but there are some common signs that can help you identify the illness. A mood scale - see our 'Could mood swings mean bipolar?' leaflet - will help you and your doctor understand your mood swings. Take a completed mood scale with you to your next doctor's appointment and tell them how you have been feeling over a period of time (you can take someone with you for support if it makes you feel more comfortable talking about it). Sometimes your GP may refer you to a specialist – usually a psychiatrist. Diagnosis should always be undertaken by an appropriately trained medical professional, who will undertake an assessment to understand a range of factors: eg. behaviour, sleep patterns, life events. It is not advisable to self-diagnose. Check out our blog Pre-diagnosis or newly diagnosed for some personal experiences of getting a bipolar diagnosis You may also like to view this: Donate to Bipolar UK today Your donation will help provide a range of services offering the support people need, when they need it. You can make sure there's someone at the end of the phone to listen, a nearby group to share experiences, a 24-hour peer forum and more. Together, we can support the person behind the diagnosis of bipolar.
Is there a test for bipolar? How can you get a confirmation of bipolar disorder? Expand There is no medical test for bipolar. Instead your GP or psychiatrist will usually complete an assessment focusing on your mood swings. They will ask questions about your family history and background, your sleeping pattern, your diet and your behaviour. They may also take notes about when you first experienced symptoms. All this information is relevant to help make an informed diagnosis. If you think you have bipolar symptoms it is good to keep a mood diary to take to a consultation with your doctor to show patterns of mood over time You may also like to view:
What causes bipolar? Find out what we know about the causes of bipolar Expand Although much progress has been made in understanding bipolar and how it can be managed, research has still not led to either a consensus on the cause or a cure. Some research suggests that there is, if not a known genetic link, then certainly an inherited predisposition to developing bipolar. It is also known that stressful life events may often precede or trigger an episode of mania, hypomania or depression. As our understanding of the function of the brain increases, more insights and more effective medication can be developed. This is why Bipolar UK works in partnership with research organisations.You may also like to see this:
Could mood swings mean bipolar? An introduction to bipolar and how monitoring your moods and behaviour can help Expand This information will be useful to you if you or your doctor are concerned about your mental health. You might have discussed the possibility of bipolar and you might have been referred to a specialist. What is bipolar? Bipolar is a severe, lifelong mental illness characterised by significant mood swings from manic highs to suicidal depression. Bipolar affects everyone differently and can be difficult to diagnose but there are some common signs to help you identify the illness. Both men and women any age and of any social and ethnic background can develop bipolar. It can be triggered when work, studies, family and emotional stresses are at their greatest. For women it can also be triggered by childbirth or menopause. The key to coping with bipolar is an early diagnosis, acceptance of the illness and adapting your lifestyle so you're in control of your symptoms. You can manage bipolar with medication, health care, therapy and self-management. The Bipolar UK mood diary will help you and your doctor understand your mood swings. Monitoring your moods Over the next month, ideally around the same time every day and not first thing in the morning, make a note of how you feel on a scale of 0 to 10 and write a brief comment about how you feel. It might also be a good idea to ask family and friends as they might be able to offer useful insight into your behaviour. If you feel comfortable, you could complete the mood diary with someone close to you. As well as recording where you are on the mood scale it's also a good idea to note • Medication• Hours of sleep you are getting• Exercise Those not affected by bipolar will usually have mood swings between 4 and 6 on the mood scale. If you have bipolar, your mood swings go way beyond these stable levels. If you experience periods of depression you may feel extremely tired and sluggish, cry a lot for no reason, lose interest in activities you once enjoyed, lack confidence, feel hopeless and have irregular eating and sleeping patterns. This would be 2 to 3 on the mood scale. If you are going high you might talk too fast, not need much sleep, have uncontrollable rapid thoughts, feel overconfident and over important, act impulsively and use poor judgement this would be 7 to 8 on the mood scale. Download this leaflet as a PDF Check out our blog What is bipolar? for more stories and personal experiences of bipolar disorder and to learn more about getting a diagnosis, visit our Pre-diagnosis and newly diagnosed blog Your donation will help provide a range of services offering the support people need, when they need it. You can make sure there's someone at the end of the phone to listen, a nearby group to share lived experiences, a 24-hour peer forum and more. Together, we can support the person behind the diagnosis of bipolar.
If I experience mood swings does that mean I have bipolar? How bipolar mood swings are classified using a the Bipolar UK mood scale Expand No, everyone has good and not so good days and experiences mood swings. The Bipolar UK mood scale is from 0 to 10 and those not affected by bipolar will experience mood swings between 4 and 6 on the mood scale. If you have bipolar, your mood swings go above stable levels anywhere between a 6 and 10. With bipolar when you experience depression it falls below 4 to as low as suicidal depression of 0. Also the periods of extreme mood usually last longer than a couple of days, more often it lasts weeks or months. Hypomania (6 to 8 on the mood scale) Someone experiencing hypomania can seem very self confident and euphoric but may react with sudden anger, impatience or irritability for the slightest reason. They may become easily distracted, more talkative or challenging. They may become more reckless than usual, which might mean errors of judgement, sometimes involving spending too much money or taking on more than they can cope with. Some people try to deal with their mood swings by self-medicating with alcohol or drugs. Mania (8 to 10 on the mood scale) Someone experiencing mania may not recognise it is happening. They may think or speak in an incoherent, rapid or disjointed way or be easily distracted. Other symptoms may include verbal aggression, paranoia and hallucinations affecting vision or perception. Grandiose delusions or ideas can occur where the sense of identity and self have been distorted by the illness. Sometimes the term psychosis (losing touch with reality) is used to describe these symptoms. Depression (4 to 0 on the mood scale) Most people with bipolar will experience severe depression at some time. Usually this will follow a period of mania or hypomania. For some people depression is more likely to occur during the winter months. Common symptoms experienced during depression include: feelings of emptiness or worthlessness (as opposed to sadness), loss of energy and motivation for everyday activities, pessimism and negativity. Thoughts of death and suicide are also common symptoms.
What is rapid cycling bipolar? Read about rapid cycling, a type of bipolar disorder Expand Rapid cycling means that someone will experience many episodes of illness each year. How many episodes? Well the cut off is essentially arbitrary, but it is taken to be four or more episodes of mania and depression in any one year period. Some people have very rapid switches and in these cases the terms ultra-rapid (days) and ultra-ultra rapid or ultradian (within a day) cycling have also been used. The diagnosis of rapid cycling is not used by everybody and is not included in all classification systems. For example, although it is included in the American diagnostic system (DSM-IV ) it is not currently part of the international classification system, ICD10. Is it easy to distinguish rapid cycling from other conditions? The diagnosis of rapid cycling bipolar disorder can be difficult. In adolescents it can be mistaken for conditions such as ADHD. In adults, it may be difficult to distinguish very fast cycling patterns from the mood instability found in borderline personality disorder. We know that many people find that it takes far too long before they receive a bipolar disorder diagnosis, something confirmed by Bipolar UK’s recent survey. It is therefore vital that a full assessment is made to ensure that a diagnosis of rapid cycling bipolar disorder is not missed, or indeed, that a label of rapid cycling is not wrongly applied to another condition. ‘There is still a lot we don’t know about rapid cycling — does it represent a separate type of bipolar disorder, or merely reflect bipolar disorder that is not receiving optimal treatment?’ How common is rapid cycling bipolar? About 10 to 20 per cent of people with bipolar disorder may have rapid cycling and it is probably more common in people with the form of bipolar disorder sometimes referred to as bipolar II (those that experience less severe highs). It is also the case that rapid cycling is more common in women. Is rapid cycling a subtype of bipolar disorder? There is still a lot we don’t know about rapid cycling – does it represent a separate type of bipolar disorder, or merely reflect bipolar disorder that is not receiving optimal treatment? Although many may no longer experience rapid cycling when they find the combination of medication and self- management that suits them, some people will continue to have many episodes of illness despite adequate treatment. What is clear is that rapid cycling is a transient phenomenon for most people — many people with bipolar disorder will experience periods of rapid cycling at certain times but have other times, when this label would not apply. Why is rapid cycling important? It is important because it may pick out a form of bipolar disorder that responds less well to medication. Studies have suggested that people with rapid cycling have a poor response to treatment. Although the first study to show this was of lithium treatment, it is probably true for other medications too. What makes rapid cycling more likely? It may be that for some people, treatment with antidepressant medication alone can increase the chances of developing rapid cycling. That is one of the reasons why many clinicians will recommend that antidepressants, when used in someone with bipolar disorder, are used in combination with a mood stabilising medication such as lithium. It may also be the case that certain antidepressants, for example the ‘tricyclics’, are more likely to result in rapid cycling than other antidepressants such as the ‘SSRIs’. What is certainly true is that antidepressants, when taken with a mood stabiliser, are much less likely to result in rapid cycling. "Bipolar UK was my first point of call when I was at my lowest and first diagnosed. Their helpful advice and eCommunity was invaluable." Join our eCommunity - always open, free and a source of support
Bipolar – The Facts Facts and figures about bipolar disorder, how many people have it in the UK and the impact it can have on people's lives Expand Bipolar statistics Bipolar is a severe mental health condition characterised by significant mood swings including manic highs and depressive lows. The majority of individuals with bipolar experience alternating episodes of mania and depression. 1.3 million people in the UK have bipolar. That is one in fifty people.1 1% to 2% of the population experience a lifetime prevalence of bipolar and recent research suggests as many as 5% of us are on the bipolar spectrum.2,3 Bipolar is one of the UK’s commonest long-term conditions with almost as many people living with bipolar as cancer (2.4%), it is more than twice as common as dementia (0.8%), epilepsy (0.8%), autism (0.8%), rheumatoid arthritis (0.7%) and learning disabilities (0.5%).4 It takes an average 9 years to get a correct diagnosis of bipolar and there is a misdiagnosis an average of 3.5 times.5 There is no national register and the Quality Outcomes Framework, which judges GP performance, groups bipolar with schizophrenia and psychosis, making meaningful assessments of referral rates impossible. Bipolar increases an individual’s risk of suicide by up to 20 times. We estimated that at least 800 people with bipolar take their lives every year. Of the people with bipolar alive today in the UK, 70,000 will take their own life unless action is taken.6 The World Health Organisation identifies bipolar as one of the top causes of lost years of life and health in 15 to 44 year olds.7 Many people with bipolar continue to lack the basic support and treatment needed to live well with the condition. 67% of people with bipolar received no self-management advice when they were first diagnosed.8 Anecdotally, many people with bipolar have experienced abuse in hospital and are dealing with undiagnosed post-traumatic stress.9 Just 21% of people with a long-term mental health condition are in employment.10 90% of people with bipolar had told their employer about their condition but 24% of them regretted making that decision.11 Rates of positive screening for bipolar disorder were higher in non-employed people, in those receiving particular benefits, and in people living alone. 4% of women on Employment Support Allowance screen positive for bipolar.12 72% of people with bipolar knew no one else with the condition when they were first diagnosed.13 1 Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey: Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing, England, 2014. 2 Merikangas KR, Peters TL, Update on the Epidemiology of Bipolar Disorder. In Yatham LN, Maj M “Bipolar Disorder Clinical and Neurobiological Foundations”, Chapter 6, page 52-61. Wiley-Blackwell UK, 2010. 3 Lam, D.; Wright, K.; Smith, N. (2004). "Dysfunctional assumptions in bipolar disorder". Journal of Affective Disorders 79. 4 Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey: Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing, England, 2014 and Quality and Outcomes Framework – Prevalence, England, 2015-16. 5 S. Nassir Ghaemi (2001). ‘Bipolar Disorder: How long does it usually take for someone to be diagnosed for bipolar disorder?’. Archived from the original on December 7, 2006. Retrieved February 20, 2007. 6 5-6% of people with bipolar disorder will end their lives by suicide. 7 Murray, C. and Lopez, A. ed., (1996). The Global Burden of Disease: A comprehensive assessment of mortality and disability from diseases, injuries, and risk factors in 1990 and projected to 2020. 1st ed. Boston: The Harvard School of Public Health. 8 Bipolar UK self-management survey 2020. 9 First-hand experience of staff and Trustees. 10 Office for National Statistics. Social and Vital Statistics Division, Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency. Central Survey Unit. (2014). Quarterly Labour Force Survey, October - December, 2006. [data collection]. 5th Edition. 11 Bipolar UK self-management survey, April 2020. 12 Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey: Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing, England, 2014. 13 Bipolar UK self-management survey 2020.
What is bipolar? The symptoms of the different types of bipolar Expand Bipolar Sometimes known as manic depression – bipolar disorder is a severe mental health condition characterised by significant mood swings including manic highs and depressive lows. The majority of individuals with bipolar experience alternating episodes of mania and depression. Also included in the definition of bipolar are: cyclothymia, which has milder symptoms hypomania, a milder form of bipolar rapid cycling, where moods can alternate quickly. Who gets bipolar and what are the symptoms? Both men and women of any age and from any social or ethnic background can develop the illness. The symptoms can first occur and then reoccur when work, studies, family or emotional pressures are at their greatest. In women it can also be triggered by childbirth or the menopause.The key to coping with bipolar is an early diagnosis, acceptance of the illness and adapting your lifestyle so you are in control of the symptoms as much as possible. Management of bipolar can be achieved through strategies involving medication, health care, therapy and self management Symptoms of bipolar depression Symptoms of hypomania and mania Monitoring your mood with a mood diary can help with diagnosis and ongoing management Watch a TED ED animation by Helen M. Farrell that explains bipolar disorder
Are there different types of bipolar? Some doctors use different classifications to describe bipolar symptoms - bipolar 1 and bipolar 2. Read this overview to find out more. Expand Bipolar disorder, also known as bipolar affective disorder, is a mood disorder. Depending on your age, you may also be aware that it used to be called manic depression (and some people still prefer to use that term for their diagnosis). Bipolar is a chemical imbalance in the brain that prevents the body from regulating moods correctly. Which causes very extreme responses to stress: Emotional Physical External stimuli – noise, light, smell Resulting in intense mood and energy swings (depression & mania). It is estimated. That around 2% of the population are living with bipolar.* The majority of individuals who receive a diagnosis will be diagnosed with bipolar disorder, however some medical professionals may explain your illness in terms of a particular categorisation. Bipolar 1 Individual’s mood swings move across the mood scale encompassing both manic episodes and depression. A diagnosis of bipolar I disorder means you will have had at least 1 episode of mania that lasts longer than 1 week. 90% of people will also have periods of depression. Untreated, manic episodes will generally last 3-6 months. Depressive episodes will generally last 6-12 months without treatment. Bipolar 2 A diagnosis of bipolar II disorder means it is common to have symptoms of depression. You will have had at least 1 period of severe depression. And at least 1 period of hypomania instead of mania. The majority of individuals with bipolar II will experience hypomania (6 to 8 on the mood scale) rather than extreme manic episode (8 to 10 on the mood scale). Bipolar 1 or 2 disorder with mixed features You may hear this being called ‘mixed bipolar state’. You will experience symptoms of mania or hypomania and depression at the same time, which may result in agitation, trouble sleeping and significant change in appetite, psychosis and suicidal thoughts. Bipolar 1 or 2 disorder with rapid cycling Rapid cycling means you have had four or more depressive, manic, hypomanic episodes in a 12-month period. Rapid cycling affects around one in ten people with bipolar, and can happen with bipolar I and II. see also a separate FAQ: What is rapid cycling? Bipolar 1 or 2 with seasonal pattern Seasonal pattern means that either your depression, mania or hypomania is regularly affected in the same way by seasons. For example, you may find that each winter you have a depressive episode but your mania does not regularly follow a pattern. Cyclothymia A diagnosis of cyclothymic disorder means you will have experienced regular episodes of hypomania and depression for at least 2 years, with no period longer than two months in which there has been a stable state and no mixed episodes. Although individuals diagnosed with cyclothymia are on the bipolar spectrum, they will not have a bipolar disorder diagnosis. Cyclothymia can however develop into bipolar disorder. Psychosis Sometimes severe mania (8 to 10 on the mood scale) or depression (2 to 0 on the mood scale) is accompanied by periods of psychosis. Psychotic symptoms include hallucinations and delusions, sometimes referred to as messianic mania. You can use our mood scale to help you describe your mood. The mood scale can also be used with our mood diary to help keep track of your moods. * Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey: Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing, England, 2014 You may also like to see:
You have been diagnosed with bipolar A leaflet designed for people who have received a diagnosis of bipolar. Expand A leaflet designed for people who have received a diagnosis of bipolar. This leaflet is for people who have been diagnosed with bipolar and gives you information and advice about managing the illness. How can you manage your bipolar? This leaflet has been given to you as you’ve been diagnosed with bipolar. Bipolar disorder is an enduring, severe mental health condition characterised by extreme mood swings - manic highs to depressive lows. You are not alone. Over 1 million people in the UK have bipolar, and many of these individuals lead productive, happy andfulfilling lives. The key to coping with bipolar is early diagnosis, acceptance and adapting your lifestyle so you can control the condition as much as possible. You can also manage bipolar through medication, the right healthcare, therapy and self-management. The earlier you receive treatment, the better. Even the mildest symptoms of bipolar can become very serious. Bipolar affects everyaspect of our lives and can put individuals and their loved ones under immense stress. What happens now? Treating bipolar There’s no cure for bipolar but you can take medication to help manage the condition. Bipolar affects everyone differently and it can take time to find the right medication or combination of medications for you. Please see our leaflet on medication for more information. Your doctor may also refer you to specialist local NHS mental health services. Many people with bipolar are offered treatment from community mental health teams. These may include psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, occupational therapists, and community psychiatric nurses. Understanding bipolar As well as receiving the right medical support, you need to understand bipolar and how it can affect you and your loved ones. There are many organisations that can help you, including Bipolar UK. Our helpful services are there to support you, your family, and loved ones, and can also help support you in the workplace. You can also manage bipolar by adapting your lifestyle and watching what you eat. Ideally, you should eat a healthy, balanced diet, cut down on caffeine and alcohol, exercise regularly, try to sleep for seven to eight hours each night, avoid stress, and make sure you find healthy ways to relax. Your family, friends and loved ones Bipolar affects every aspect of your life and your family, friends and colleagues can be put under stress. To understand and manage bipolar, you will need support. If you can, speak to family members, your partner or close friends. You could ask them to go with you to see your doctor or to other appointments. Loved ones may also have useful insight into your behaviour, which can be helpful for health professionals. Family members and loved ones should be involved in planning your treatment and care and, unless you don’t want them to be, should be consulted by mental health professionals. Mental health teams should also give your family members clear information about your diagnosis and how they can also help you. Helpful services Your local NHS mental health team will also run some hospital-based services. If your mood swings become extreme, you may have what is called a manic or severe depressive episode. When this happens, you may need to spend some time in hospital or to receive support from community crisis teams at home. The community crisis team offers you treatment at home to avoid, if possible, you having to go to hospital. They may come to your house or offer treatment in a residential service or day centre, depending on what’s available in your local area. Psychiatric hospitals offer a safe space to receive treatment, but when you’re experiencing a manic episode, you might not always be able to recognize when you need this type of treatment, and refuse the treatment that you need to get well. If this happens, you might be sectioned, or admitted to hospital, under the Mental Health Act. This will only happen against your wishes if it’s in your best interests or to protect others. How you can help yourself You can work with your doctor and other mental health professionals who are there to support you. You should make sure you involve your family and loved ones and find out as much as you can about the illness. It’s also helpful to talk with other people who are also affected by bipolar. You can understand how bipolar affects you as an individual by monitoring your moods and learn what can trigger your mood swings too. You should also learn how to manage your mood and mental health through adapting your lifestyle. Bipolar UK also provides a range of services to support anybody affected by bipolar.These include:• Our Support Line• Our eCommunity, a free online forum• Support Groups• Work and Learning Support Download this leaflet as a PDF
What are the symptoms of hypomania and mania? Members of the eCommunity have compiled a list of symptoms, based on their experience Expand This list is compiled by members of our eCommunity. In our experience mania and its symptoms can be personal to an individual. Having insight is important so you can recognise a behaviour or reaction that is slightly out of the ordinary. That said, the border between having insight and losing it can be quite fine. The change can happen quite quickly. It can be hard to determine its threshold when you are in an episode. Keeping a mood diary can be a useful tool to be aware of your own triggers and mood patterns. Also having people around you who you trust and who can give you feedback on your mood and behaviour is helpful. Here are some symptoms we recognise: Activity Highly productiveSpinning lots of plates at the same time/multi-taskingSpending or overspending Cognitive/ways of thinking Making connections creativelyWord play and punningSuspicious thoughts moving to paranoiaMaking links with coincidences (a kind of benign paranoia)Religiosity, sometimes with delusions of being a higher being or saviourObsessive thoughtsPlanning schemes or projects that are never realisedOverlap with depressive black and white thinkingSecrecyAudio psychosisParanoia/Feeling like being spied onRacing thoughtsAnxiety about everything and nothingBeing super animatedShort fuse/extreme irritabilityHeightened senses/sensory overload - everything is magnified - brighter colours or sharper hearingTouch can feel tingly. I get goose bump feelings up my arms and on my scalp which can be heightened by music, laughing, other peopleExcited feelings like butterflies in tummy, rushes of energy and sensations through body of being connected to everything around you in a spiritual/energy sharingCan sometimes feel like blending into an object, like you can feel the texture merging with you which although may feel pleasant at first, very quickly becomes unpleasantThings are too bright, too loud, too close, clothes feel scratchy/weird or too tight Behaviour GrandiositySleep loss/no need of sleepMicro managing projectsTalking faster and/or louderNeeding lot of stimulation...YouTube, TV, conversationsOverbooking spare time, leaving no gaps to do nothingMore active on forumsOverspending - linked to secrecy as mentioned aboveDriving with too much confidence/more aggressivelyRepeated loss of spectaclesVery high sex driveRisky behaviourExtra-productive and creative eg songwritingActing out of the ordinary eg being disinhibitedBecoming childlike or a joker/buffoon - doing silly things like being silly with my kids (which they love!)Becoming arrogant with a sharp tongueExtreme anxiety as part of hypomaniaGoing into a catatonic state and becoming unresponsive
What are the most common symptoms of bipolar depression Members of the Bipolar UK eCommunity share their experiences of depression Expand This list has been compiled by members of the Bipolar UK eCommunity and documents their experiences of the symptoms of bipolar depression: Symptoms of depression Cognitive Executive function issues ie concentration, memory, decision makingForgetfulness/memory problemsForgetting medication or taking it more than the normal daily doseInability to explain your feelings to othersLoss of concentrationSlow or muddled thinkingDifficulties concentrating Feelings/emotions A feeling of emptinessA feeling of hopelessnessAnhedonia (lack of enjoyment)AnxietyApathyFeeling sadFeelings of guilt or that you are responsible for events (usually bad ones)Ideas that you are bad/evilIdeas that you are dislikedImpending sense of gloom that won't shiftIrritability with self and othersLack of motivationLethargyLow self esteemMoaning (serious constant moaning)ParanoiaPsycho-motor agitation, wringing hands, pacing etc.Remembering unpleasant past eventsSuicidal thoughtsTearfulnessThoughts of self-harmKeyed upWishing that the sun won't come up the next day - cannot handle the idea the tomorrow is going to comeCertain give-away statements like "I'm just waiting here in my apartment to die, really" Physical symptoms A feeling of being unwellAgitation, irritability and anger but usually when mixed or psychotic depressionNot wanting to leave houseSudden, unexplained weight lossUnexplained aches and pains/minor ailmentsWeight gain or increased appetite as well. It can go either way Self care Lack of appetiteLack of self-care/self-neglectLack of self-worth Self sabotage Engaging in deliberately self-destructive behaviours Sleep Changes in sleep patternsDisturbed sleep (waking multiple times in the night)Early waking Social Cancelling all upcoming appointments, ignoring responsibilities, shunning friends and family: and feeling guilt about all this at the same timeInability to ask others for helpLack of socialisingNo libidoSocial withdrawal
Is there a cure for bipolar? Bipolar is a lifelong condition and there is no cure. It can be managed to minimise its impact. Expand Although much progress has been made in understanding bipolar, it is a lifelong condition without a cure. Research has still not led to a consensus on either the cause or a cure. However, with good self care bipolar can be managed. Some research suggests that there is, if not a known genetic link, then certainly an inherited predisposition to developing bipolar. It is also known that stressful life events may trigger an episode of mania, hypomania or depression. As our understanding of the function of the brain increases, more insights and more effective medication can be developed. This is why Bipolar UK works in partnership with academia and other research organisations.