Development of BipolarWISE, an innovative online psychosocial intervention

The BipolarWISE program involves: (1) Eleven group sessions with a maximum of eight other participants with bipolar disorder and two facilitators who are allied health professionals (research facilitators). Each session will be around 120 minutes with a break in the middle. To maximise convenience for participants, these sessions will be held online via videoconferencing software. (2) An initial individual orientation session with a facilitator and 10 individual coaching sessions (11 individual sessions in total) of around 30 minutes with a facilitator, to help tailor the program to participants needs. These sessions will be conducted via phone or other videoconferencing software. (3) In addition, the allied health facilitators will assist participants to develop a secure login and personalised profile on the BipolarWISE App that is integrated into the program, and to use whatever features participants may like to try (e.g., monitoring, goal setting, plans, information and resources). Before participants access the BipolarWISE App for the first time, they will be asked to read and agree to the Terms of Use, Privacy Statement and Disclaimer. They are welcome to discuss any questions they may have about the Terms of Use, Privacy Statement and Disclaimer with the research facilitators. If they have difficulty applying the information and tools on the app to their situation or technical difficulty, they can email, text, or call the facilitators. Between sessions the research facilitators will send participants brief emails with feedback related to their goals, and a reminder about the next session. (4) A separate carer component, BipolarASSIST, which is separate from the rest of the BipolarWISE intervention in that carers have their own independent online resource. It will be a mobile app which is an upgraded and privately accessible version of www.bipolarcaregivers.org, that includes psychoeducation and we aim to add interactive tools for cares to practice implementing what they had learnt from the website in their day-to-day lives. It will include psychoeducation and training exercises about bipolar disorder and its treatment, strategies to help communicate and care for the person with bipolar disorder, personal stress management, and strategies to enhance personal wellbeing. Carer participants will have unlimited access to the website for 13 weeks and will be asked to access sections that are relevant to them and to provide fortnightly feedback. (5) As part of the trial, participants will also complete the following fortnightly online assessments: the Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire Short Form (QLESQ-SF), the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS), and the study-specific feedback survey. In addition, if the carer participant has a diagnosis of bipolar disorder (determined by the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5), they will also complete (1) item 10 of the Montogomery Åsberg Rating Scale (MADRS) and (2) the Altman Mania Scale for risk. They will receive automated reminder messages to complete the online assessments. If a carer participant does not complete the online assessment, the researcher will send up to three reminder messages.

The BipolarWISE program involves: (1) Ten group sessions with a maximum of eight participants with bipolar disorder and two facilitators who are allied health professionals (research facilitators). Each session will be around 120 minutes with a break in the middle. To maximise convenience for participants, these sessions will be held online via videoconferencing software. (2) An initial individual orientation session with a facilitator and 10 individual coaching sessions (11 individual sessions in total) of around 30 minutes with a facilitator, to help tailor the program to participants needs. These sessions will be conducted via phone or other videoconferencing software. (3) In addition, the allied health facilitators will assist participants to develop a secure login and personalised profile on the BipolarWISE App that is integrated into the program, and to use whatever features participants may like to try (e.g., monitoring, goal setting, plans, information and resources). Before participants access the BipolarWISE App for the first time, they will be asked to read and agree to the Terms of Use, Privacy Statement and Disclaimer. They are welcome to discuss any questions they may have about the Terms of Use, Privacy Statement and Disclaimer with the research facilitators. If they have difficulty applying the information and tools on the app to their situation or technical difficulty, they can email, text, or call the facilitators. Between sessions the research facilitators will send participants a reminder about the next session. (4) A separate carer component, BipolarASSIST, which is separate from the rest of the BipolarWISE intervention in that carers have their own independent online resource. It will be a mobile app which is an upgraded and privately accessible version of www.bipolarcaregivers.org, that includes psychoeducation and we aim to add interactive tools for cares to practice implementing what they had learnt from the website in their day-to-day lives. It will include psychoeducation and training exercises about bipolar disorder and its treatment, strategies to help communicate and care for the person with bipolar disorder, personal stress management, and strategies to enhance personal wellbeing. Carer participants will have unlimited access to the website for a month and will be asked to access sections that are relevant to them and to provide feedback at the end of the month. (5) The main aim of the study is to obtain feedback on the acceptability, usefulness and relevance of the interventions and how they can be improved. Participants with bipolar disorder will be asked to complete feedback surveys after each group session, as well as a final feedback interview. They will also complete mood assessments (BDRS, YMRS) and the Functioning Assessment Short Form (FAST) mid and post intervention. As part of the carer trial, participants will be asked to complete a feedback interview and online assessments: Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptoms (QIDS-SR), the Generalised Anxiety Disorder 7 item scale (GAD-7) and Carer related quality of life scale (Carer Qol). In addition, if the carer participant may have bipolar disorder (determined by clinical interview and the Mood Disorders Questionnaire),the Altman Mania Scale for risk. Carer participants will receive automated reminder messages to complete the online assessments. If a participant does not complete the online assessment, the researcher will send up to three reminder messages.