Survey on the Mental Capacity Act 2005
Research news from the Mental Health Research Network (MHRN) East Midlands Hub plus South Yorkshire
April 2011 update on the PARADES study
Our regional centre of the MHRN is currently involved in supporting the PARADES programme, a five-year long study into bipolar disorder. It is being run by teams in Manchester, Lancaster and the Institute of Mental Health in Nottingham.
PARADES stands for Psycho-education, Anxiety, Relapse, Advance Directive Evaluation, and Suicidality. The Institute of Mental Health is involved in two aspects of the programme – psycho-education and examining the impact of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. The Nottingham-based work is being led by Prof Richard Morriss.
The PARADES programme has been funded by The National Institute for Health Research and the study has been adopted by the MHRN.
The Mental Capacity Act 2005 - introduction
This part of the study seeks to evaluate the extent to which the Mental Capacity Act 2005 is impacting on the treatment experiences of individuals with bipolar disorder. Two online surveys are being run, one for people with bipolar disorder, the other for psychiatrists. The aim of the research is to see how both groups are using part of the Act relating to advance planning instructions put in place for times when individuals are too unwell to make decisions for themselves.
An important mechanism contained within the Act is the option to make financial or personal welfare decisions in advance, in order to plan for a time when capacity may be lost. This way, the individual can make sure that they maintain control over their affairs. Further information on the Mental Capacity Act 2005 is available by clicking here [external web to the National Archives].
What is bipolar disorder?
Bipolar disorder is a severe mental illness affecting 1-2% of the population. It is characterised by periods of moderate to severe depression and separate periods of mania (elated mood, over activity, reckless behaviour, overspending, over confidence). If symptoms are severe, both the manic and depressive phases of the condition may result in a loss of capacity. Therefore, persons with bipolar disorder may benefit from one of the advance decision making options available under the Mental Capacity Act.
The need for research
Formal research into the impact of the Mental Capacity Act is currently limited. Early pilot research conducted as a precursor to this project suggests that service users are largely unaware of the Act or how it may be relevant to them. In addition, knowledge amongst psychiatrists would appear to be in need of improvement.
We want to see whether enough people with bipolar disorder are aware of the options available to them under the Act and whether being provided with information on the subject would have any impact on their attitude towards this.
In order to more effectively study this, we need to also investigate awareness levels of advance planning under the Act among psychiatrists.
We want to hear from 500 service users and 500 psychiatrists for the quantitative component of the project. We also want 40 service users and 30 psychiatrists involved in the qualitative component of the project.
Aims
We want to:
- Develop an in-depth understanding of the experience of service users and psychiatrists in using the Act in a group of service users where capacity can be lost and then regained.
- Examine awareness of advance planning under the Act among adult service users with bipolar disorder and psychiatrists practising in general adult and old age psychiatry.
- Explore the potential added value to practice of providing more specific guidance in the form of a booklet to both service users and psychiatrists on the use of the Act in bipolar disorder.
Research questions
Our major research questions are:
- Are persons with bipolar disorder making use of the Act to plan in advance for the intense phases of the condition?
- Are persons with bipolar disorder aware of the general principles of the Act?
- Are general adult and old age psychiatrists aware of the provisions of the Act and how they are used in everyday practice?
Survey (quantitative) research
This part of the project takes the form of two separate surveys
1) Persons with bipolar disorder, as indicated by reported clinician diagnosis and positive score on Mood Disorders Questionnaire
2) General adult and old age psychiatrists at Senior House Officer, Specialist Registrar and Consultant level, practising in England.
This part of the study aims to explore in greater detail the issues which have been raised by the survey. Target groups for this are:
1) Persons with bipolar disorder, as indicated by reported clinician diagnosis and positive score on Mood Disorders Questionnaire who use mental health services (service users)
2) General adult and old age psychiatrists at Senior House Officer, Specialist Registrar and Consultant level, practising in England.
Participants from both groups who take part in the quantitative survey will be asked if they wish to also take part in the qualitative interview stage of the project. The first interview will focus on the answers provided in the survey. Following this, participants will be provided with an information booklet about advance planning under the Mental Capacity Act. The second interview will focus upon participants’ opinions of the booklet and its potential impact upon attitudes and practices towards advance planning issues.
Background information
Survey information sheet for psychiatrists [Word Document - 183 KB]
Survey information sheet for service users [Word Document - 187 KB]
Further information from the University of Nottingham website
