We are looking for volunteers in the Johns Hopkins Medicine system to join our study, help with research, and gain insight into your illness along the way.
If you have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder or have symptoms that may be related to bipolar disorder, then please consider joining our study as we work towards finding better treatments.
Bipolar disorders affect millions of people in the US and across the globe, but it is often a challenge to diagnose and treat. Treatments are available to help those suffering with bipolar disorder, but for many it is a struggle to get to the right treatment at the right time. It can take years to reach the correct diagnosis and years after that to get to treatments that work and have as few side effects as possible.
The Johns Hopkins Department of Psychiatry has recently established a Mood Disorders Precision Medicine Center of Excellence (PMCOE) to tackle some of these problems and improve care of individuals with serious mood disorders like bipolar disorder
People with any form of bipolar disorder may apply to join this study. To participate, you must:
This is a research study, and all participants are volunteers. For those interested, we can provide you with an individualized summary of information that may be helpful to you. Here’s what to expect if you decide to participate.
You will be asked to provide permission to access your medical records in order for the study researchers to obtain relevant clinical data about you, your mood disorder and the treatment that you have received. You will also be asked to complete a brief baseline clinical assessment (~30 minutes) and answer a few questionnaires in person, by telephone, or by telemedicine platform
This research aims to help identify risk factors associated with the course, outcome, and treatment of mood disorders. We hope that this knowledge will help us to improve the care and treatments of individuals with these illnesses in the future.
If you elect to provide a blood draw, there may be a small discomfort from the blood drawing procedure itself. Additionally, there may be potential discomfort discussing past episodes of illness.
Some of the information you provide for this study will be of a highly personal nature. Only a few specified researchers will have access to your identifiable information, which will be kept in HIPAA compliant server at John Hopkins. All analyses will be performed using de-identified information to protect your privacy.
The Moods@Hopkins Study is part of the Johns Hopkins Precision Medicine Center of Excellence (PMCOE) in Mood Disorder, an initiative set up by the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences to improve the research and clinical care of people with mood disorders.
The Mood Disorders PMCOE is directed by Fernando S. Goes, M.D. and co-directed by Peter Zandi, PhD. Drs Goes and Zandi have been collaborators for many years in genetic and clinical studies of mood disorders, bringing valuable and complementary expertise in the clinical characterization, treatment, and methodological study of mood disorders.
If you are considering joining our study, please answer these questions. Your information will only be used for this study.
If your mental or emotional state quickly gets worse, or you’re worried about someone you know — help is available. You’re not alone; talk to someone you trust. Sharing a problem is often the first step to recovery.
