• Are you aged 60 or over?
• Do you identify as experiencing bipolar disorder at present or have a formal diagnosis of bipolar disorder?

If so, you may be interested in participating in a study being carried out by Aaron Warner, a PhD student at Lancaster University. This study will aim to understand what is important to older adults as they age with bipolar disorder and why, and what may help them to age well.

Participants who are involved in the study will be asked to be part of photo elicitation (in which they will take photographs of what aspects of their lives help them to age well) and an individual interview in which they will discuss their photographs with the researcher.

Bipolar disorder (BD) is a chronic mood disorder that is characterised by severe affective states that cause significant impairment to people’s quality of life. Whilst there is growing literature exploring experiences of BD in adult populations, there is insufficient evidence surrounding the needs and preferences of older adults with bipolar disorder, resulting in inappropriate care sometimes being provided. Older adults with BD are a particularly vulnerable group, as in addition to experiencing chronic mental health difficulties, evidence suggests that they experience isolation, frailty, loss of independence, and cognitive decline more often than people ageing without BD. Furthermore, long-term use of mood stabilising medication is linked to a range of physical health problems such as renal disease, hypothyroidism and weight gain, creating further health disparities and leaving this group marginalised. Consequently, further research is needed to help inform person-centred care and reduce the health inequalities faced by this group.

This PhD project aims to better understand the priorities and presenting needs of older adults with BD to reduce the inadequate and sometimes unsuitable care that this group currently receives. To do this, two empirical studies will be conducted. Study one will explore what ageing well means to older adults with bipolar disorder. This study will use photo elicitation, where participants are asked to take photographs of aspects of their lives that represent ageing well or not well, before these photographs are then used as prompts for discussion in follow up interviews. Study two will collect data through biographical narrative interviews with the aim of understanding the changing needs of older adults with bipolar disorder as they enter later life. Overall, the findings of these studies could help to encourage person-centred care, enhance the services available to this group, and improve their quality of life moving forward.

If you would like to find out more about the study, please contact Aaron Warner:
Email: a.warner3@lancaster.ac.uk
Phone : 07495 729079