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.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
6
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.
Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience
London, United Kingdom
RECRUITINGthe Credibility and Expectancy Questionnaire (CEQ)(Devilly & Borkovec, 2000)
Time frame: Assessment/Baseline Only
Client Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ-8) (Larsen, Attkison, Hargreaves & Nguyen, 1979).
Time frame: Follow-up (2 weeks post-intervention)
internal states scale (ISS) (Bauer, 1991)
Time frame: Assessment (Baseline) and Follow-Up (2 weeks post intervention)
The Self Compassion Scale Short Form(SCS-SF) (Raes, Pommier, Neff & Van Gucht, 2011)
Time frame: Assessment (Baseline) and Follow-Up (2 weeks post intervention)
The Short Revised Almost Perfect Scale (SAPS) (Rice, Richardson & Tueller, 2014)
Time frame: Assessment (Baseline) and Follow-Up (2 weeks post intervention)
The Social Comparison Scale (Allan & Gilbert, 1995)
Time frame: Assessment (Baseline) and Follow-Up (2 weeks post intervention)
The Social Safeness and Pleasure Scale (Gilbert et al, 2009)
Time frame: Assessment (Baseline) and Follow-Up (2 weeks post intervention)
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