Project Summary

Jermaine Robertson, Ph.D. (Young Investigator 2004) of Howard University, proposes to study whether cognitive behavioral therapy will help people with bipolar disease who also use cocaine. Research shows patients with bipolar disease are at very high risk of developing a substance abuse disorder, which further complicates their care. In the proposed study, Dr. Robertson aims to recruit from an in-patient psychiatric unit and an out-patient mental health clinic 75 to 100 African-American individuals with bipolar disease who use cocaine. Subjects will be assigned randomly to receive either six months of cognitive behavioral therapy or will attend a group where assessments will occur without therapeutic intervention. Weekly meetings of the sessions will last approximately an hour. A variety of psychiatric scales will assess if reduced depression and cocaine craving occur with intervention. Dr. Robertson believes her study will help meet the need for more research about such treatment options for this population.

Program Area: MOOD DISORDERS\Bipolar\Substance Abuse

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