Grant: CIHR Fellowship

Bipolar disorder (BD) is a chronic, severe mood disorder that affects 2.4% of people worldwide. People living with BD experience negative impacts to their relationships, physical health, cognition and memory, and participation in education/employment. It is therefore unsurprising that people with BD value improvements in their quality of life (QoL) as much or even more than symptom reduction. Self-management (monitoring and responding to the signs, symptoms, and impacts of a chronic illness) can help people with BD optimise their health and wellbeing. To do this successfully, people with BD need access to information about effective wellness strategies - unfortunately, significant barriers to accessing these resources exist. People with BD may not be able to access appropriate healthcare, particularly in the context of COVID-19 physical distancing measures. Smartphone apps have potential to support self-management, however there is limited research to answer the question about whether apps are effective at improving outcomes in BD. Marketplace reviews suggest that existing apps for BD do not fully address the preferences and concerns of potential users. Given this, it is unsurprising that many people stop using a health app shortly after they first download it. In order to benefit the lives of users with BD, apps must not only be effective, they also need to be appealing, usable, and engaging. Using both qualitative interviews, self-report data, and passive data monitoring, the proposed project will address three key research questions: What features and content do people with BD look for in a health app? How do they interact with an app-based intervention in a real-world context? How should we personalise app content to better improve QoL outcomes in BD? Together, this program of research will allow us to design, evaluate, and iteratively improve a next-generation app to optimise health and wellbeing in one of the most serious mood disorders affecting Canadians.