Greg Murray

Swinburne University of Technology · Centre for Mental Health

Now in its fourth edition, the acclaimed Oxford Textbook of Psychopathology aims for both depth and breadth, with a focus on adult disorders and special attention given to personality disorders. It provides an unparalleled guide for professionals and students alike. Esteemed editors Robert F. Krueger and Paul H. Blaney selected the most eminent res...

Many individuals with mental health conditions avoid, delay, discontinue, or do not seek mental health services and treatments, despite the existence of evidence-based treatments and support methods. Little is known about the barriers to mental health service utilisation for Sri Lankan Australians, and there is no research on factors that facilitat...

Objective To compare the 2022 NICE guidelines (NG222) and 2020 RANZCP clinical practice guidelines (MDcpg ²⁰²⁰ ) recommendations for the treatment of depression using psychodynamic psychotherapy. Conclusions Both guidelines recommend psychological interventions first-line. However, only short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy (STPP) is recommended,...

Background Given the likelihood of progressive illness in bipolar disorder (BD), it is important to understand the benefits and risks of interventions administered early in illness course. We conducted a systematic review of the effectiveness of interventions in the early course of BD I or II. Methods We completed a systematic search on MEDLINE, P...

Mental health literacy is an important determinant of mental health help-seeking and is associated with improved mental health. There is evidence that mental health literacy may be lower amongst some migrant communities in Australia. The present study conducted the first cross-sectional survey of mental health literacy in Sri Lankan Australians bet...

Objectives The primary objectives of these international guidelines were to provide a global audience of clinicians with (a) a series of evidence-based recommendations for the provision of lifestyle-based mental health care in clinical practice for adults with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and (b) a series of implementation considerations that ma...

Comparing the recommendations of two recently published national clinical practice guidelines for depression, this editorial highlights the concordance of advice concerning the selection and sequencing of therapies. Lifestyle and psychological interventions feature prominently and there is broad agreement regarding medication choice and optimisatio...

Background Digital technologies enable the dissemination of multimedia resources to support adults with serious mental illness in their self-management and personal recovery. However, delivery needs to accommodate engagement and accessibility challenges. Aims We examined how a digital resource, designed for mental health workers and consumers to u...

Objectives: Recovery-oriented perspectives have become accepted worldwide as an alternative to the biomedical approach to conceptualizing and managing severe mental health problems. It has been proposed that one advantage of this is to support self-efficacy amongst people with a lived experience of psychosis, especially when recovery messages are...

Objectives Societal restrictions imposed to prevent transmission of COVID-19 may challenge circadian-driven lifestyle behaviours, particularly amongst those vulnerable to mood disorders. The overarching aim of the present study was to investigate the hypothesis that, in the routine-disrupted environment of the COVID-19, amongst a sample of people l...

Background There is currently renewed interest in the use of psychedelic therapy in the treatment of psychiatric disorders, including depression. The proposed systematic review will aim to identify, evaluate and summarise the psychological processes of change underlying psychedelic therapy for depression in the current literature and consider the i...

Objective To rebut the claims made in an opinion piece by Anaf and colleagues regarding the recommendations for psychotherapy within the 2020 RANZCP Mood Disorders Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPG). Conclusions The CPG attaches importance to psychological interventions and recommends their administration as first-line in the treatment of depressi...

Sleep, depressive symptoms and circadian preference are highly interconnected processes. Evidence suggests that, especially in adolescence, all processes should be considered in the assessment and treatment of patients with clinically relevant psychopathology. The SCRAM (Sleep, Circadian Rhythms, and Mood) questionnaire was developed and validated...

BACKGROUND Quality of life (QoL) is increasingly recognised as a key outcome of self-management interventions for bipolar disorder (BD). Mobile phone applications (apps) can increase access to evidence-based self-management strategies and provide real-time support. However, while individuals with lived experience desire support with monitoring and...

Background: Quality of life (QoL) is increasingly being recognized as a key outcome of interventions for bipolar disorder (BD). Mobile phone apps can increase access to evidence-based self-management strategies and provide real-time support. However, although individuals with lived experiences desire support with monitoring and improving broader h...

Aim Symptoms of bipolar disorder (BD) include changes in mood, activity, energy, sleep and appetite. Since many of these processes are regulated by circadian function, circadian rhythm disturbance has been examined as a biological feature underlying BD. The International Society for Bipolar Disorders (ISBD) Chronobiology Task Force (CTF) was commis...

Background The aim of this cross-sectional study was to investigate dispositional mindfulness and its association with depression and manic tendencies, and subjective life quality in bipolar disorder (BD). Furthermore, this study sought to examine the potential mediating effects of emotion regulation difficulties on these relationships. Method Twe...

Objective: Adjunctive psychological interventions improve outcomes in bipolar disorder (BD), but people in latter stages likely have different clinical needs. The objective here was to test the hypothesis that for people with ≥10 episodes of BD, a brief online mindfulness-based intervention (ORBIT 2.0) improves quality of life (QoL) relative to a P...

Social distancing/lockdown policies during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic may alter social rhythms of people through imposition of restrictions on normal daily activities. This may in turn challenge circadian function, particularly in people with mood disorders. Although objective data describing the relationship between circadian disturbances...

Background The primary objective is to test the effectiveness of a novel online quality of life (QoL) intervention tailored for people with late stage (≥ 10 episodes) bipolar disorder (BD) compared with psychoeducation. Relative to early stage individuals, this late stage group may not benefit as much from existing psychosocial treatments. Methods...

BACKGROUND Bipolar II (BD-II) disorder is associated with significant burden, disability and mortality, yet there continues to be a dearth of evidence-based psychological interventions for this condition. Technology-mediated interventions incorporating self-management have untapped potential to help meet this need as an adjunct to usual clinical ca...

Background: Bipolar II disorder (BD-II) is associated with significant burden, disability, and mortality; however, there continues to be a dearth of evidence-based psychological interventions for this condition. Technology-mediated interventions incorporating self-management have untapped potential to help meet this need as an adjunct to usual cli...

Background : Studies exploring disability in bipolar disorder (BD) have primarily assessed clinical samples of full-threshold BD-I and BD-II alongside so-called objective criteria such as unemployment or receipt of government disability payments. This study extends research on disability by examining externally determined and self-identified disabi...

Rationale Early-onset adolescent depression is related to poor prognosis and a range of psychiatric and medical comorbidities later in life, making the identification of a priori risk factors for depression highly important. Increasingly, dysregulated levels of immune and neuroendocrine markers, such as C-reactive protein (CRP) and cortisol, have b...

Background Despite its significant morbidity and mortality, very little is known about how those with lived experience of bipolar II disorder (BD-II) manage their condition. This study sought to understand unmet needs in currently available psychosocial treatments, explore self-management strategies (SMS) that individuals with BD-II currently use,...

The medical use of psychedelic substances (e.g. psilocybin, ayahuasca, lysergic acid diethylamide and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine) is attracting renewed interest, driven by a pressing need for research and development of novel therapies for psychiatric disorders, as well as promising results of contemporary studies. In this Viewpoint, we refl...

With great interest we read our colleagues’ recent debate 1. We emphatically agree with the recommended cautious approach to progressing staging research in bipolar disorder (BD). This commentary expands on the important issues raised with a focus on clinical utility, the central unrealised promise of staging. Additionally, we offer concrete direct...

Background Smartphone apps have recognised potential for improving access to evidence-based care in the treatment of bipolar disorder (BD). Healthcare providers are well-positioned to play a role in guiding patients to access safe, evidence-supported, and trustworthy apps. However, little is known about whether and how clinicians use apps with peop...

The role of self‐concept in bipolar disorder (BD) has not been well understood. The present review utilises the notion of self‐schema, and interrogates existing research concerning evidence for cross‐sectional and prospective associations between four schema‐like constructs (i.e., trait self‐esteem, dysfunctional beliefs concerning contingent self‐...

Objectives To provide advice and guidance regarding the management of mood disorders, derived from scientific evidence and supplemented by expert clinical consensus to formulate s that maximise clinical utility. Methods Articles and information sourced from search engines including PubMed, EMBASE, MEDLINE, PsycINFO and Google Scholar were suppleme...

Background There has been relatively limited work focused on understanding whether relatives of individuals with bipolar disorder (BD) have difficulties in the regulation of emotion, particularly in relation to perceptions about whether emotions can be effectively regulated, or trait behaviours that acknowledge emotions as self-regulators themselve...

Objectives To provide a succinct, clinically useful summary of the management of major depression, based on the 2020 Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists clinical practice guidelines for mood disorders (MDcpg²⁰²⁰). Methods To develop the MDcpg²⁰²⁰, the mood disorders committee conducted an extensive review of the available lit...

Objectives To provide a succinct, clinically useful summary of the management of bipolar disorder, based on the 2020 Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists clinical practice guidelines for mood disorders (MDcpg²⁰²⁰). Methods To develop the MDcpg²⁰²⁰, the mood disorders committee conducted an extensive review of the available lit...

Background There is currently renewed interest in the use of psychedelic therapy in the treatment of psychiatric disorders, including depression. The proposed systematic review will aim to identify, evaluate and summarise the psychological processes of change underlying psychedelic therapy for depression in the current literature and consider the i...

Background: Condition-specific quality of life (QoL) instruments are more representative of the priorities of people with lived experience. As such, the development of the first and only bipolar disorder (BD) specific measurement instrument, the Quality of Life in Bipolar Disorder (QoL.BD) questionnaire, marked an important step forward for the li...

Early onset adolescent depression is related to poor prognosis and a range of psychiatric and medical comorbidities later in life, making the identification of a priori risk factors for depression highly important. Increasingly, dysregulated levels of immune and neuroendocrine markers, such as C-reactive protein (CRP) and cortisol, have been demons...

Objectives The aim of this study was to advance understanding of stage of illness in bipolar disorder (BD), by interrogating the literature for evidence of an influence of stage of illness on functional (i.e., non‐symptom) outcomes following psychosocial intervention. Methods A systematic literature search following PRISMA guidelines was conducted...

Background Interest in biological clock pathways in bipolar disorders (BD) continues to grow, but there has yet to be an audit of circadian measurement tools for use in BD research and practice. Procedure The International Society for Bipolar Disorders Chronobiology Task Force conducted a critical integrative review of circadian methods that have...

Objectives This study aimed to investigate the features of later stage BD and specifically, factors underlying later stage BD and potential subgroups within this stage, to understand more about the later stage group and contribute to the measurement of stage. Methods An exploratory factor analysis was conducted using variables relating to current...

Sleep problems are highly prevalent in bipolar disorder (BD) and constitute an important therapeutic focus in this population: They are highly impairing and distressing, are an area of subjective importance to consumers, and likely play a role in predicting/triggering mood episodes. The aim of this review is to orient psychologists and psychotherap...

BACKGROUND Quality of life (QoL) is considered a key treatment outcome in bipolar disorder (BD) across research, clinical, and self-management contexts. Web-based assessment of patient reported outcomes offer numerous pragmatic benefits, but require validation to ensure measurement equivalency. A web-based version of the Quality of Life in Bipolar...

Background: Quality of life (QoL) is considered a key treatment outcome in bipolar disorder (BD) across research, clinical, and self-management contexts. Web-based assessment of patient-reported outcomes offer numerous pragmatic benefits but require validation to ensure measurement equivalency. A web-based version of the Quality of Life in Bipolar...

BACKGROUND Background: Digital mental health interventions offer unique advantages, and research indicates that these are effective for a range of mental health concerns. While less established for individuals with serious mental illnesses these demonstrate significant promise. A central consideration in traditional face-to-face therapies is the th...

Background: Digital mental health interventions offer unique advantages, and research indicates that these interventions are effective for a range of mental health concerns. Although these interventions are less established for individuals with serious mental illnesses, they demonstrate significant promise. A central consideration in traditional f...

Background: Knowledge construction is a form of communication in which people can work individually or collaboratively. Peer support services have been adopted by the public psychiatric and social welfare service as a regular form of intervention since 2015 in Hong Kong. Peer-based services can help people with bipolar disorder (BD) deal with the...

In the quest for new treatment options for depression, attention is being paid to the potential role of psychedelic drugs. Psilocybin is of particular interest given its mechanism of action, its benefits in early trials and its relatively low side effects burden. This viewpoint outlines a number of key issues that remain to be elucidated about its...

Background Mental health patients can experience involuntary treatment as disempowering and stigmatising, and contact with recovered peers is cited as important for countering stigma and fostering agency and autonomy integral to recovery. Aims To advance understanding of the interaction between involuntary treatment and contact with recovered peer...

Objectives: Number of mood episodes (NoE) may be an important prognostic indicator in bipolar disorder, with implications for treatment. However, NoE has been conceptualised and measured inconsistently throughout the literature. This review examines the construct of NoE in bipolar disorder, with the aim of enhancing its conceptualisation and measu...

Aims: To systematically review the literature on the efficacy and tolerability of the major chronotherapeutic treatments of bipolar disorders (BD) - bright light therapy (LT), dark therapy (DT), treatments utilizing sleep deprivation (SD), melatonergic agonists (MA), interpersonal social rhythm therapy (IPSRT) and cognitive behavioral therapy adap...

This book provides an overview of key processes relevant to disturbances in positive valence systems; discusses cutting-edge advances on positive emotion disturbance in key clinical disorders, translational applications, and targeted treatment foci; discusses conceptualizations of psychopathology and models of positive emotion disturbances; and sug...

The Buddhist construct of nonattachment is a related, yet distinct construct to mindfulness. Whereas mindfulness refers to an individual’s open, present-centred awareness of what is happening in their field of consciousness, nonattachment denotes an absence of attempts to control what is happening in their field of consciousness. The aim of the pre...

Background There have been longstanding theories and research evidence into the important role of the person's vulnerability at the level of self-concept in bipolar disorder (BD). The current study investigated two emerging self-related constructs, self-compassion and nonattachment to self in BD. Specifically, we examined the levels of the two cons...

Introduction: The aim of this paper is to present Social Rhythm Therapy, which has been modified from Interpersonal and Social Rhythm Therapy, by drawing on implementation science to describe a process that for integrating this into routine clinical practice. Method: Based on the principles of user centred design, we aimed to modify an existing...

BACKGROUND Self-monitoring of symptoms is a cornerstone of psychological interventions in bipolar disorder (BD), but individuals with lived experience also value tracking holistic outcomes such as quality of life (QoL). Importantly, self-monitoring is not always experienced positively by people with BD, and may have lower than expected rates of eng...

Background Self-monitoring of symptoms is a cornerstone of psychological interventions in bipolar disorder (BD), but individuals with lived experience also value tracking holistic outcomes, such as quality of life (QoL). Importantly, self-monitoring is not always experienced positively by people with BD and may have lower than expected rates of eng...

Recent years have seen increased research attention to psychological interventions as adjuncts to medication treatment of bipolar disorder (BD). Adjunctive psychological treatments are recommended in all major clinical guidelines for BD, and we now know that evidence-based treatment involves both pharmacotherapy and psychological therapy. We provid...

There are growing calls for the development of early intervention/preventive interventions for young people identified to be at risk of bipolar disorder (BD), and digital delivery appears to be a strong candidate delivery method. To date, no such interventions exist, and the aim of this perspective paper is to advance the literature by reviewing th...

A recent systematic review by Chen, Fitzgerald, Madera, and Tohen 1 catalogued the variety of functional outcome measures in use in the bipolar disorders (BD) literature. Given increasing importance placed upon broader measures of recovery in BD such as functioning, Chen et al.'s identification of the domains assessed by various functional measures...

Sleep and circadian rhythms have been implicated in the onset, course, and treatment of bipolar disorder. The aim of the present review is to provide an update on emerging understandings of the role of sleep in BD. Recent research in this population has provided further clarity around the prevalence of sleep problems and comorbidities, their relati...

Background There is great interest in the possibility that ‘stage of illness’ moderates treatment outcomes in bipolar disorder (BD). Much remains unknown about the construct of stage of illness, but there is evidence that effectiveness of psychosocial interventions may depend on factors that are plausible proxy measures of stage of illness (e.g., n...

This brief editorial introduces the circadian system, and how circadian function is involved in mood disorders. It is intended to be useful for clinicians and researchers who want to deepen their understanding of circadian explanations of psychopathology. Although it is targeted specifically at psychiatry (and published in a psychiatric journal), m...

Background: Bipolar disorder (BD) is a chronic mental disorder, and family members play a key role in taking care of the affected individuals. The recovery movement has gradually transformed mental health services, for example, through the introduction of peer support services (sharing of expert-by-experience knowledge), and it has challenged the...

Background: Maladaptive perfectionism is a transdiagnostic risk and maintaining factor for a range of mental health conditions, including bipolar disorder (BD). Self-compassion represents a potential protective factor against maladaptive perfectionism, however no studies to date have examined the relationship of these constructs in BD. The aim of t...

Aim Young people with bipolar disorder (BD) commonly experience reduced quality of life, persistent symptoms and impaired functional recovery despite often superior school performance. Compromised long‐term functioning can ensue. There is evidence that psychological therapies alongside pharmacology may be more efficacious earlier in the course of t...