Compassion-Focused Therapy for Distressing Mood Swings: A Case Series

NCT ID: NCT05860101

Last Updated: 2023-05-16

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: UNKNOWN
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 6 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2022-11-15
• Study Completion Date: 2023-06-09

Brief Summary

The goal of this case series is to investigate whether a brief compassion-focused intervention is a safe, acceptable and feasible therapy for clients with bipolar affective disorder. The secondary questions are whether a brief compassion focused intervention for BPD clients is associated with changes in bipolar mood symptoms and/ or with changes in psychological processes linked to mood symptoms in bipolar, including: Self-compassion, perfectionism, social comparison and social safeness. Four visual analogue scales will also be completed daily by each participant throughout the project. These scales will measure domains relevant to BPAD symptomology and self-compassion.

Participants will complete a 4 session Compassion-Focused Therapy Intervention. The first session will involve completion of the psychoeducation and formulation work which was started during the initial assessment session. Each intervention session will also involve the introduction and practice of CFT techniques or exercises. The trial therapist will introduce the exercise and practice it together with the participant during the session. Participants will then be asked to continue practicing the exercises for homework. Their experience of the practice and any difficulties can then be discussed at the start of the next session.

Conditions

Bipolar Affective Disorder

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

1 week waitlist

Group Type: OTHER

Compassion-Focused Therapy

Intervention Type: OTHER

Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) is based on the premise that we have three emotion regulation systems, the threat, drive and soothing systems. It has been suggested that our psychological wellbeing is dependent on maintaining a balance between these three systems, and if we lose this balance, e.g. the threat or drive systems become more dominant, then we start to experience emotional difficulties (Gilbert, 2009). In this study, participants are given various exercises to develop their soothing system, and help them to balance overactive threat.

2 week waitlist

Group Type: OTHER

Compassion-Focused Therapy

Intervention Type: OTHER

Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) is based on the premise that we have three emotion regulation systems, the threat, drive and soothing systems. It has been suggested that our psychological wellbeing is dependent on maintaining a balance between these three systems, and if we lose this balance, e.g. the threat or drive systems become more dominant, then we start to experience emotional difficulties (Gilbert, 2009). In this study, participants are given various exercises to develop their soothing system, and help them to balance overactive threat.

Interventions

Compassion-Focused Therapy

Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) is based on the premise that we have three emotion regulation systems, the threat, drive and soothing systems. It has been suggested that our psychological wellbeing is dependent on maintaining a balance between these three systems, and if we lose this balance, e.g. the threat or drive systems become more dominant, then we start to experience emotional difficulties (Gilbert, 2009). In this study, participants are given various exercises to develop their soothing system, and help them to balance overactive threat.

Intervention Type: OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Adults (18 years and older)
• Diagnosis of Bipolar Affective Disorder

Exclusion Criteria

• Client considered to be actively at acute risk - judgement made by responsible clinical team and also by risk assessment at our first assessment session. High risk clients are excluded as due to time constraints it will be difficult to address risk issues and complete the intervention in the short time frame we have outlined.
• Client already receiving some form of CFT intervention, as this be a potential confounder.
• Level of English not strong enough to complete assessment and intervention sessions without use of interpreter. Again, due to time constraints it would be difficult to complete the intervention with clients in the timeframe outline whilst using an interpreter or navigating the language barrier.

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust

OTHER

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Institute of Psychiatry, London

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Tom Marsay

Trainee Clinical Psychologist

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Locations

Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience

London, , United Kingdom

Site Status: RECRUITING

Countries

United Kingdom

Facility Contacts

Tom Marsay, BSc

Role: primary

tom.marsay@kcl.ac.uk

07596892500

Other Identifiers

R&D2022/059

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id