This Black History Month more than £300,000 of funding has been awarded to a study sponsored and hosted by our Research Team aimed at reducing health inequality in Black communities.
Bipolar disorder can deeply affect lives, but African and Caribbean communities in the UK are often underrepresented in research and face barriers like stigma, discrimination, and lack of culturally sensitive care.
The pioneering CaPE project (Culturally adapted Psychoeducation for African and Caribbean persons with bipolar disorder in the UK) aims to positively change that. The Trust has received £300,169 from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Research for Patient Benefit Programme.
Led by Psychologist Dr Dung Jidong, with our Research Operations Manager, Farah Lunat, as co-applicant, the project is a huge step forward in making mental health care more inclusive and culturally responsive to Black communities, and partners with Bipolar UK.
Dr Dung Jidong has experience of delivering numerous culturally adapted psychological interventions while leading randomised controlled trials, including a feasibility study for people with bipolar disorders in Nigeria, as well as an intervention for depression for British African and Caribbean women.
People with bipolar disorder have higher suicide rates and a life expectancy of 10 to 20 years shorter than the general population.
In the UK, Bipolar disorder has an economic burden of £6.4 billion annually and Black people are 173 times more likely than their White counterparts to receive a diagnosis of bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder is under-researched, particularly within African and Caribbean communities. This research focuses on African and Caribbean people who self-identity as Black British, Black African, Caribbean, or of mixed African or Caribbean heritage.
Farah said:
“Through education and engagement, previous research has shown that communities are not only willing but are often eager to contribute to shaping the future of care.
“This project will give people an opportunity to do just that, and we’re proud to be part of research that makes a real difference in reducing health inequalities and aiming for equity.”
Participants in the Lancashire based trial will be randomly assigned to two groups, one group will receive the CaPE intervention alongside NHS treatment as usual, while the other will receive only the usual treatment.
The culturally adapted approach will involve twelve hour long online sessions covering bipolar disorder, cultural beliefs, stigma, medications, side effects, recurrence factors, and management strategies while promoting a productive lifestyle and healthy practices. Trained therapists will deliver the intervention remotely, supervised by psychiatrists and clinical psychologists.
Early field work has involved direct engagement with local communities, including people living locally with bipolar disorder, who were keen to engage and take part.
One participant said:
“I believe that this CaPE intervention will reduce stigma in our communities and increase service uptake for people with bipolar disorder.”
The research team includes a co-investigator with lived experience of bipolar disorder, and the project aligns with the NIHR’s strategy to promote equality, diversity, and inclusion through inclusive research and healthcare. It anticipates addressing disparities affecting African and Caribbean people living with bipolar disorder and aligning with the Race Relations and Mental Health Acts.
The study is likely to help reduce the stigma of bipolar disorder and hopefully help improve access to mental health services for people of African and Caribbean descent across the UK.
If the feasibility trial proves successful, it will lead to a full cost effectiveness trial, and the learning and findings could be replicated in other ethnic minority communities across the UK.
