B-Positive: Enhancing well-being in patients with bipolar disorder

Bipolar disorder (BD) is characterized by recurrent manic or (hypo)manic phases, alternating with (euthymic) states in which patients are relatively symptom free. The prevalence of BD is estimated at 1,3% in the Netherlands. Current treatment for BD in the euthymic phase often focuses on symptomatic and functional recovery, but residual subthreshold depressive symptoms often remain between episodes and form an important risk factor for recurrence. In order to reach full personal recovery, it is important to strive for complete mental health, which encompasses both the absence of mental illness and the presence of well-being. One prominent field focussing on the improvement of well-being, is positive psychology. This is your life is a generic self-help positive psychology intervention developed at the University of Twente, which aims to increase well-being. The current study aims to assess the effectiveness of This is your life adjusted for people with bipolar disorder in the euthymic phase.

The primary hypothesis of the study is that a well-being intervention (‘This is your life’) offered to bipolar disorder (BD) patients in remission in addition to usual care (CAU) is more (cost-)effective than CAU only.

Directly prior to the start of the intervention a baseline measurement is completed (T0) and four weeks after start of the intervention a mid-treatment measurement is conducted (T1). Directly following the intervention a post measurement will be conducted (T2: approximately three months after baseline). Additionally, two follow-up measurements are conducted, six months (T3) and twelve months after baseline (T4).

We aim to adapt the multi-component positive psychology intervention 'This is your life' as a group intervention for BD. The 8-week intervention focuses on six components, including personal strengths, resilience, post-traumatic growth, and positive relationships. The intervention consists of 8 meetings of 2 hours and home exercises.