Advancing research and care with and for people with bipolar disorder

CREST.BD

“People with lived experience are often left out of decisions about what research gets done to address bipolar disorder (BD),” says Dr. Erin Michalak, Founder and Director of the CREST.BD research network. “Research into biomedical treatments is important, but living a flourishing life also requires social support and empowerment.” The Daymark Foundation has funded CREST.BD on two projects: one aimed at co-creating a common agenda for research and care in Canada, and the other on digital self-management tools.

On the first project: “We’re looking to bring together clinicians, researchers, people with lived experience and their family members to better understand their priorities,” explains Erin.

“These groups often have different ideas about what positive outcomes look like, so our project looks to identify commonalities that could inform how we approach research and care through a common roadmap.”

Dr. Steven Barnes is the network’s Deputy Lead and has lived experience with BD. “Much of the research tends to focus on ‘which drug is better than which drug’”, he says. “Medication is half the battle as you’re often still grappling with high highs and low lows.” For their second project, the team is slated to release the PolarUs mobile app, which provides users with customized strategies to help people improve their quality of life.

“It’s been a pleasure working alongside people with lived experience as they bring their expertise to this work,” says Dr. Lisa O’Donnell, network member and collaborator. “They’re living full lives and are so passionate about being involved.”