Overview
This study explores how financial behaviour changes during mood episodes in people with bipolar disorder, with a focus on impulsive and excessive spending during manic or hypomanic states. While prior research suggests a link between mood and spending, there is limited quantitative understanding of this relationship. The study adopts a human-centred, public and patient involvement (PPI) approach to identify which financial behaviours and data features are most relevant for modelling mental health, while also considering privacy and acceptability. It further examines participants’ views on sharing financial data and their willingness to adopt tools that use such data to predict relapse. We also examined differences across distinct geoeconomic environments in Ireland, the United Kingdom, and Nigeria.
The key research questions are:
- What financial behaviours characterise mood episodes in bipolar disorder?
- Which data features and levels of granularity are appropriate and acceptable for modelling these behaviours? and
- What factors influence participants’ willingness to share financial data and use predictive tools?
Findings from this interview-based pilot (N = 19) will inform the design of a future study assessing the feasibility of modelling mental health using objective financial data.
Collaborators
This work is conducted in partnership with the Aware Ireland, Shine Ireland, and Mentally Aware Nigeria Initiative (MANI).
Outputs
The study is completed, and the findings are under review in a reputable journal