Bipolar research receives $1 million in funding from National Health and Medical Research Council

Research into improving the quality of life of people in late stage bipolar disorder has received over $1 million in funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council.

Professor Greg Murray, Swinburne University of Technology, will lead an international team of researchers, clinicians and consumers who will investigate a low-intensity online intervention to improve subjective quality of life in late stage bipolar disorder. 

Previous psychological interventions for bipolar disorder have focused on stress management and reacting early to signs of relapse.  While these remain important strategies, the new intervention pays more attention to the person’s values and their broader quality of life. 

“The study is one of the largest online intervention programs of its kind and will target bipolar sufferers who have experienced numerous episodes of illness,” Professor Murray said.

The project is based on a successful pilot study conducted at Swinburne in 2013, with results published in 2014. That study showed the online intervention significantly improved quality of life in an international sample, and participants were very positive about their experience of the intervention. 

Swinburne has been a leader in online mental health research, with the National e-therapy centre conducting intervention programs into a range of mental health conditions. 

The study will run for four years and recruit 300 participants from Australia, Canada, USA and the UK.  

NHMRC is Australia's leading expert body for supporting health and medical research, developing health advice for the Australian community, health professionals and governments.

NHMRC funding supports research across the full spectrum of health and medical research, from basic science through to clinical, public health and health services research.

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