University of Otago, Christchurch researchers are part of an urgent international effort to understand how isolation and
disruption of routines associated with COVID-19 are affecting people with mood disorders.
Mood disorders include bipolar disorder and depression. An estimated one in five New Zealanders live with a mood
disorder.
The researchers are calling for people diagnosed with a mood disorder to be part of their online study. They hope to get
information from about 200 New Zealanders and more than 2000 people worldwide. The experiences of people with mood
disorders from America, Australia, Canada, and parts of Europe are also being sought by other Universities as part of
the study effort. The researchers hope to have surveyed people and analysed the results within six to eight months.
University of Otago, Christchurch researcher and mood disorder expert Professor Richard Porter says lock-down has
resulted in significant changes to people’s lives, including their ability to socialise with others or go about their
usual work and personal routines. The international research effort aims to understand how this has impacted people with
mood disorders. They are looking particularly at the impact on people’s daily routines such as getting out of bed,
eating meals, exercising, socialising and sleep patterns, he says.
Professor Porter says experts believe mood disorders are particularly sensitive to disrupted rhythms – body rhythms and
social rhythms. “This is a unique time when body and social rhythms have been disrupted, and the health of those people
with mood disorders may also have been disrupted,” he says.
“We know that disruptions such as rotating shifts or long haul travel can cause people with mood disorders to become
unwell. We think some of the negative impact on people with mood disorders of big life changes such as bereavement or
job loss may also be related to the disruption of rhythms.”
Professor Porter says he and his team are already studying ways of reinforcing and embedding social and biological
rhythms in the lives of people with mood disorders. “By studying this unique situation, we may be able to find better
ways of dealing with any disruption to these rhythms and the resulting impact on people’s mood and quality of life.”
Professor Porter says having several countries involved means a lot of people can be studied. “Different countries have
different levels of lockdown, will be at different stages when the study is done and are at in different seasons. It
will be interesting to see if any differences emerge from that.”
Professor Porter says taking part in this study involves doing a 20 minute online survey that asks questions about
things such as mood symptoms and sleep patterns during the lock-down. The survey can be found at Otago.ac.nz/lockdown.