Understanding help seeking and clinical recognition in young people with, and at risk of, mood and bipolar disorders

Goodman, Josephine (2026) Understanding help seeking and clinical recognition in young people with, and at risk of, mood and bipolar disorders. Doctoral thesis, University of East Anglia.

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Abstract

Background:
Young people face frequent delays in receiving appropriate support for early signs of mood or bipolar disorder, which can cause distress and lead to worsening health outcomes. This thesis explores how young people seek help and how early identification occurs with youth mental health services.

Methods:
A systematic review was carried out, examining how young people aged 12 to 25 seek help for mood disorders and bipolar disorder. Then a qualitative study was conducted, taking testimonies from clinicians’ experiences recognising and responding to early signs of bipolar disorder. These interviews were examined using reflexive thematic analysis.

Results:
Amongst the ten studies included in the systematic review, the findings consistently showed that young people would rarely seek help at an early stage of recognising difficulty in mood and would only tend to engage when symptoms became more severe. Family members, teachers and trusted adults were central roles in encouraging young people to engage in support. Within the qualitative study, clinicians reported that signs of bipolar disorder were observed over extended periods, and not as a single diagnostic moment. Clinicians described their challenges of recognising early symptoms of mood disorders, limited options for appropriate services and ethical concerns around premature labelling of young people with a condition.

Conclusion:
In conclusion, this thesis supports the suggestion that services need to manage signs of at risk symptoms and monitor changes over time, rather than defaulting to premature labelling as referral options are limited with diagnosis. Future research is encouraged to explore long term and flexible methods to identify risks, as well as new service approaches that allow for monitoring and support prior to clear diagnostic being made.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Norwich Medical School
Depositing User:	Amy Millward-Doherty
Date Deposited:	13 Nov 2026 15:12
Last Modified:	13 Nov 2026 15:12
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/105113
DOI:

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