Leading research

Bipolar UK leads and supports impactful research into the treatment, care and support of people affected by bipolar. Working alongside world-leading academics, clinicians and people with lived experience, our research team is actively involved in a range of studies, from improving how bipolar is diagnosed and treated, to developing innovative tools that support people to manage the condition. Our work spans clinical trials, psychological interventions and policy-shaping research, all guided by our mission to transform healthcare for the one million people in the UK living with bipolar.

Advance Choice Documents (ACDs)

About the project

This project is led by Professor Tania Gergel and colleagues at King’s College London.

Advance Choice Documents (ACDs) are written or spoken records that allow people with fluctuating mental illness to say in advance, when they are well, what treatment they would like if they become ill.

What are we doing now?

The Bipolar UK research team has been busy working with colleagues at the Department of Health and Social Care to help deliver ACDs as a central element of the new Mental Health Bill.

In summer 2025, we appointed a social entrepreneur to help deliver the next phase of the project, which is to take the ACD website and build a social enterprise so that it can continue to run.

ASCEnD Study

About the project

This study is being run with the support of the NHS and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), working in partnership with Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust and Newcastle University.

Very little is known about using antidepressants in patients living with bipolar depression. In this study, we will use a combination of an antidepressant (sertraline) and an antipsychotic (aripiprazole) and compare this combination with an antipsychotic medication called quetiapine.

All three medications are already used in the NHS, but we want to find out if using a sertraline/aripiprazole combination will be beneficial in reducing depressive symptoms in people with bipolar disorder.

  • The Bipolar UK research team is currently working closely with the ASCEnD study team to boost recruitment to the trial.

  • The ASCEnD study team is actively recruiting across several health trusts in England. 

    Find details here

B-SPRINT (Brain and Genomics Hub)

About the project

This study is led by Professors James Walters and Neil Harrison, alongside the research team at Bipolar UK as core members of the wider research team

The Brain and Genomics Hub is looking to better understand bipolar, schizophrenia, and schizoaffective disorder by mapping various biological, clinical, and social factors so that we can identify better treatments and management of these conditions.

  • The Bipolar UK research team is responsible for the lived experience innovation of the project. We have brought together a group of researchers with dual expertise in research and personal lived experience of the mental health conditions the study is looking at.

    As well as co-organising the launch event for the Hub, we are currently working on several papers with the help of our specialist Lived Experience Advisory Panel. We will share these with the community when they are published.

  • The B-SPRINT (Brain and Genomics Hub) is currently open and active in recruitment. 

    Find details here

Culturally Adapted Psychoeducation for bipolar (CaPE)

About the project

This project is being led by Dr Dung Jidong at Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust.

The CaPE study is mostly interested in bridging the gap between the Black British, Black-African, Caribbean, or mixed-race African/Caribbean community living with bipolar and looking to create more culturally sensitive interventions to reduce hospital admission.

  • As the project is in its early stages, the Bipolar UK research team is currently working with the CaPE team to set up routes for recruitment.

  • Recruitment details will be posted here in summer 2026.

Home-based transcranial direct current stimulation in bipolar depression (BDEP)

About the project

This project is being led by Professor Cynthia Fu at the King’s College London (KCL) and Professor Allan Young at Imperial College London (ICL).

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive treatment where someone wears a headset that gives small electronic pulses to the brain. It has been used to treat unipolar depression and there is evidence that it can be effective in reducing symptoms of depression.

BDEP is a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to assess the effectiveness of home-based tDCS on bipolar depression. The team is also monitoring whether tDCS can help to lessen anxiety over time.

  • The trial is currently being set up. The Bipolar UK research team is working behind the scenes with colleagues at KCL and ICL to ensure that the study will run smoothly.

  • Recruitment details will be posted here in April 2026.

Partners of Parents with Bipolar (PPB)

About the project

This study is being run by Professor Steven Jones and colleagues at the University of Lancaster.

This PPB study is related to the Integrated Bipolar Parenting Intervention (IBPI) study which we’re supporting. It is mostly concerned with understanding the unique support needs of carers of parents with bipolar which are often neglected.

  • 1. Who is running the study?

    The study is led by Professor Steven Jones at Lancaster University and has received ethical approval from the East Midlands – Leicester South Research Ethics Committee.

    2. What is involved in the study?

    The study includes the following parts:

    1. Register on the study website (PPB Study)
    2. Take part in a short screening call by telephone.
    3. Complete the online survey.

    You may also choose to take part in an optional interview or co-design workshops.

    3. Who can apply for the study?

    You may be able to take part if you fulfil all of the following criteria:

    • You are the partner of a parent with bipolar.
    • You live with your partner and child/children.
    • Your partner has at least one child aged 18 or under for whom they have parental responsibility.
    • You are currently living in the UK

    4. What commitment would I have to make?

    You will be asked to complete an online survey, which will take about 30 minutes. You will be able to save your progress and return later if needed. You can also choose to take part in an online follow-up interview or online co-design workshops, which are also part of the study. Participation in these activities is optional.

    You will receive a £20 Love2Shop voucher for completing the survey. If you take part in the interview, you will receive a £40 Love2Shop voucher. If you take part in a co-design workshop, you will receive £50 either in the form of a Love2Shop voucher or as a bank transfer for each workshop.

  • The Bipolar UK research team is a co-investigator of this project with the responsibility of managing its progression. Our focus is to bring gold-standard coproduction and lived experience involvement.

  • Yes, PPB are actively recruiting.

    We are inviting 150 partners of parents with bipolar to take part. You may be able to take part if you live with your partner and a child aged under 18. To find out more about the study and what participating means, please read our PPB Survey Participant Information Sheet

    If you're interested in taking part, please click the link below, where we will ask you to share your contact details so that we can get touch to confirm you're eligible to participate.

    Register your interest