Research & Evidence

Bipolar IN Order is grounded in clinical data, federal review, and two decades of real-world outcomes. Here is what we have and what we are building toward.

The Ghaemi Pilot Study

Dr. Nassir Ghaemi, Professor of Psychiatry at Tufts University School of Medicine, conducted an unpublished pilot study of the Bipolar IN Order program. 19 participants completed an 8-week program and were assessed using the validated WHO Quality of Life scale.

Domain	Before	After	Improvement
Physical Health	56.6	66.4	+9.8 points
Social Relationships	50.8	55.9	+5.1 points
Psychological Health	57	59.4	+2.4 points
Environment	71.9	73.8	+1.9 points

42% of participants reported being "currently ill" at baseline, compared to only 26% after the program. Awareness of state improved by 10 points. Comfort during episodes improved by 13.3 points. Functioning improved by 5 points.

"A symptomatic benefit comparable to currently available medication. When added adjunctively to medications, the program also produces quality of life benefits not seen after psychopharmacological treatment alone."
— Ghaemi et al.

The study attracted significant interest from the bipolar community, with 19 participants completing the full program.

PCORI Federal Grant Review

We submitted a $2 million research proposal to PCORI (Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute), a major federal research funder. The review was rigorous and the feedback was specific.

What reviewers said in our favor:

"Innovative focus on patient-centered outcomes and functionality vs symptom reduction"
"Pilot study shows improvement in 3 of 4 WHO-QOL assessments, demonstrating potential impact"
"Addresses a critical gap in current clinical treatment"
"Strong patient and stakeholder panel"

Why they declined:

The workshop format at the time was not standardized enough to be reproducible in a large-scale study. They were right. So we rebuilt the entire program as a digital platform where every interaction is logged, every outcome is measurable, and the methodology is fully reproducible. The current platform directly addresses every concern PCORI raised.

Academic Interest & Endorsements

Researchers and clinicians at leading institutions have expressed interest in collaborating on validation studies or have endorsed the Bipolar IN Order approach.

Researcher	Institution	Expertise
Dr. Nassir Ghaemi	Tufts University	Mood disorders, psychopharmacology
Prof. Jim van Os	Maastricht / Utrecht University (Netherlands)	Recovery-oriented psychiatry, dimensional models
Dr. Eduard Vieta	University of Barcelona (Spain)	Bipolar disorder research (one of the most cited in the field)
Dr. Sabine Bahn	University of Cambridge (UK)	Biomarkers, mood disorders
Dr. Hilary Blumberg	Yale School of Medicine	Mood Disorders Research Program Director
Dr. Stephen Hinshaw	UC Berkeley	Dept of Psychology, Chair

In 2014, medical directors at Blue Cross Blue Shield provided letters of support for the program.

Why Partners Trust This Program

Users build personalized profiles of their environments, behaviors, comfort zones, and tools — creating a self-management system specific to them. The program works alongside clinical care, not as a replacement for medication or therapy.

Complements existing treatment. The program works alongside medication and therapy — it never replaces clinical care.
Every interaction is logged. Structured check-ins, tool usage, and outcomes are fully trackable from day one.
Measurable cost outcomes. Monthly surveys (available at Level 5+) capture healthcare utilization — hospitalizations, ER visits, medication changes, work disruptions, and self-ratings. These feed the Medical Utilization and Cost Savings Report that partners use to measure program ROI.
Partner visibility without privacy risk. Organizations that pay for user access — health systems, insurers, employers, patient unions. Not individual therapists or coaches (those are in Sharing). Partners get a cohort of seats. Partner admins see a separate dashboard with engagement metrics, usage stats, and cost/utilization reports for their cohort — never the program content or individual check-ins.
Standardized and reproducible. The entire methodology runs on a digital platform — not dependent on individual facilitators or workshop variability.

Interested in Partnering?

If you are a researcher, clinician, or organization interested in evaluating the Bipolar IN Order model, we welcome the conversation.