A Data-Driven Approach to Early Mental Health Screening in Offspring of Parents With Bipolar Disorder
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Summary
Bipolar disorder often runs in families, but early symptoms in youth can go unrecognized for years. This project evaluates a structured, family-centered approach to informed screening for youth ages 7-21 who have a biological parent with bipolar disorder. The main questions addressed by this project are: Whether a co-designed video decision aid improves caregiver understanding of bipolar disorder genetic risk and supports informed decisions about youth screening. Whether remote mental health screening tools are feasible and acceptable for youth with familial risk for bipolar disorder. Whether screening results can be used to identify early risk patterns and inform tailored follow-up recommendations. Participants may be involved in one or more study activities, including co-design of educational decision-aid content, feedback on decision-aid prototypes, beta testing of the decision aid, and remote youth mental health screening. The study does not assign treatment and does not change existing clinical care or clinic routines.
Description
Background and Rationale: Bipolar disorder (BD), characterized by acute mood fluctuations between manic and depressive states, affects approximately 5.7 million adults each year in the United States and is the fourth leading cause of disability among those aged 10-24 worldwide. BD is estimated to inflict an annual economic burden of $195 billion in the United States alone. Despite its high prevalence and significant impact on both disability and the economy, BD is typically diagnosed 11-17 years after symptom emergence. This results in delayed intervention, increased morbidity, and an elevate…