Social determinants associated with bipolar disorder (BD)

There are a range of social determinants that have been associated with poor health and mental health outcomes such as economic stability, education, social and community context, health and healthcare, neighbourhood and built environment. These have often been examined in the context of mental health more broadly, and there has been little done on specific disorders such as bipolar disorder. We do not have a good understanding of the causes of bipolar disorder and often there is a 10-year delay between of symptom onset, diagnosis, and receipt of adequate treatment. In this research program, the student will examine the social determinants of bipolar disorder and look at their relationships with diagnostic delays and poor outcomes. This research program is part of the NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence in Bipolar Disorder (CORE-BD) led by Prof Sue Cotton. Other supervisors will include Dr Mel Hasty (Senior Research Fellow, Clinical Psychologist and Executive Officer of CORE-BD), Dr Kate Filia (Senior Research Fellow, Orygen, expertise in social inclusion), and Dr Emma Morton (Senior Lecturer, Clinical Psychologist, expertise in bipolar disorder).