Thomas Richardson

University of Southampton · School of Psychology

We sought to investigate whether adverse childhood experiences increase impulsive spending in later life, and whether emotion dysregulation and impulsivity mediate this association. Limited research has examined associations between these factors, and examining the mechanisms involved may inform interventions for impulsive spending. This study used...

In this retrospective service evaluation, the predictors of disengagement from trauma therapy are investigated, as previous research suggests that disengagement rates may be higher than other therapies Clients on the post-traumatic stress disorder treatment pathway received either eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) or trauma-focus...

Objectives Dysfunctional attitudes (DA) are higher in depression; however, less is understood about their role in bipolar disorder (BD). This paper aimed to explore the presence of DA in BD in comparison to clinical and non‐clinical groups. Also explored were the associations between DA and mood states of depression, mania or euthymia in BD. Metho...

Background: Maladaptive cognitions appear to be associated with the severity of mood symptoms in bipolar disorder (BD), but findings are mixed and generally cross-sectional in design. Method: This study (n = 331) explored the associations between maladaptive cognitions and mood symptoms in BD over time (3 months), and the potential mediating eff...

Background: NHS Talking Therapies (formerly IAPT) tend to exclude those with Bipolar Disorder. Despite promising results from the IAPT Serious Mental Illness demonstration sites for Bipolar (Jones et al., 2018), there has been no national roll out of such an approach. This is despite 30% of those attending NHS Talking Therapies Services potentially...

Background: Employment and housing situation impacts outcomes for therapy for depression (Buckman et al., 2022). A systematic review concluded that socioeconomic deprivation increases risk of dropout from psychological therapy, though there were few studies on this (Firth et al., 2021). A previous analysis of NHS Talking Therapies services (formerl...

Background: Previous research has shown a link between childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and more severe symptoms of psychosis. There is also evidence that self-compassion is a key mechanism linking adverse childhood experiences and mental health problems such as post-traumatic stress disorder and depression, but no research has examined these links in...

Financial stability is a key challenge for individuals with bipolar disorder, a serious mental illness requiring life-long management. Symptomatic periods often lead to poor financial decision-making, including compulsive spending and risky behaviors. Widespread consumer adoption of financial technologies ("fintech") has accelerated in recent years...

Outlined meta-analysis, currently under review, on dysfunctional attitudes in Bipolar Disorder.

Explains research, currently under review, on links between perfectionism, dysfunctional attitudes, meta-cognition and self-compassion and mood symptoms in Bipolar Disorder.

Summarises ongoing research about the extent to which Bipolar disorder is worked with in England's Increasing Access to Psychological Therapies/NHS Talking Therapies service.

Outlines ongoing research about Bipolar disorder and impulsive spending and the role of technology.

Explains a published meta-analysis about perfectionism sub-types and the relationship with mood symptom severity.

Background: Previous research suggests that there is a link between perfectionism and symptoms of depression. This study aimed to see if different types of perfectionism are linked differently to symptoms of depression in mood disorders and if there is a relationship between perfectionism and symptoms of mania in bipolar disorder. Methods: A sys...

The intersecting impacts of mental ill-health and money problems on the financial wellbeing of people from ethnic minority communities.

Financial stability is a key challenge for individuals with mental illnesses. Symptomatic periods often manifest in poor financial decision-making including compulsive spending and risky behaviors. This article explores research opportunities and challenges in developing financial technologies (FinTech) to support individuals with mental health. Sp...

Objective: This paper explored the factor structure of the PCL-5 within a sample of UK primary and secondary care mental health service users. Much of the previous investigations into the PCL-5 have been conducted on military or emergency service personnel, therefore it is important to understand the validity of this tool within a broader sample. I...

Mental health professionals face a high degree of burnout. This study aimed to explore the effectiveness of Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing Group Traumatic Episode Protocol (EMDR G-TEP) at reducing distress and burnout in staff working within an Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) service and if outcomes changed over nu...

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/aug/11/energy-crisis-has-pushed-families-to-the-brink

Background Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) is a primary care therapy service commissioned by England's National Health Service (NHS) for people with unipolar depression and anxiety-related disorders. Its scope does not extend to ‘severe mental illness’, including bipolar disorders (BD), but evidence suggests there is a high BD pr...

Describes a cognitive model of the relationship between cannabis use and psychosis, and results from a preliminary randomized controlled trial of a novel online intervention based on this model.

Purpose Previous studies in the field have highlighted a bidirectional link between mental health and physical health. Students may be at a higher risk of both mental and physical health problems because of unhealthy lifestyle behaviours and the commencement of university occurring at the same mean age of onset for many psychiatric disorders. This...

Overview of recent feasibility randomized controlled trial for an online intervention targeting cannabis related psychotic experiences.

Examines the reliability of the PCL-5 as a measure of PTSD symptoms in primary and secondary care.

Overview of relationship between financial difficulties and mental health and the psychological mechanisms.

Describes a meta-analysis on dysfunctional assumptions in Bipolar Disorder.

Background Previous research has shown a strong relationship between financial difficulties and mental health problems. Psychological factors such as hope and worry about finances appear to be an important factor in this relationship. Objective To develop an online based psychological intervention (Space from Money Worries) to tackle the psycholog...

In this paper, we present novel research methods for collecting and analyzing personal financial data alongside mental health factors, illustrated through a N=1 case study using data from one individual with bipolar disorder. While we have not found statistically significant trends nor our findings are generalizable beyond this case, our approach p...

Executive summary There is strong existing evidence that financial difficulties and mental health problems can be interrelated. However, less is understood about how money and mental health can impact on people from minoritised ethnic communities in the UK. To build an understanding of this, The Money and Pensions Service commissioned The Universi...

Discuss research about financial difficulties and mental health. Discuss my research on this area. Focus on the psychological mechanisms. Interventions I’m developing based on this. Current projects. Future ideas.

Reports findings of the Bipolar UK commission

Summarises research on the link between financial difficulties and mental health problems and the psychological mechanisms which underlie them.

Outlines research on a cognitive model of cannabis use and psychosis.

“A light in the dark” The early findings of the Bipolar UK Commission –October 2021

Presentation to medics meeting about the development of Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality (CAMS) and initial outcomes in Portsmouth adult mental health services, Solent NHS Trust.

https://science.sciencemag.org/content/370/6522/eaay0214/tab-e-letters

Heavy cannabis use is associated with an increased risk of psychosis. However, the psychological mechanisms involved, and interactions with established risk factors for cannabis-related psychosis, remain unclear. This study examined the role of cognitive fusion, a candidate vulnerability factor for psychosis, during acute THC intoxication, and the...

Overview of my published research about impact of financial difficulties on mental health in students.

Overview of research on cognitive mechanisms of cannabis-related paranoia and a model developed of this.

Drop-out is a significant problem for psychological therapy services, leading to increased cost as well as poorer outcomes and longer waiting times. Existing literature suggests that clients being ready and motivated for engaging in therapy is an important factor in predicting drop-out, however, there are limited tools validated in secondary care f...

Background Motivational factors are generally regarded as an important ingredient for change in therapy. However, there is currently a lack of available instruments that can measure clients’ readiness for change in therapy. Aim The objective of this paper was to create an instrument, the Readiness for Therapy Questionnaire (RTQ), which could measu...

Cannabis use can increase severity of symptoms and risk of relapse for people with psychosis. Childhood sexual abuse and high schizotypy increase the risk further. The mechanisms involved remain unclear, and this limits psychological therapies. In three linked studies, we examined the role of two candidate mechanisms – external attribution and cogn...

In a longitudinal study of 104 participants, the psychological factors of economic locus of control, self-esteem, hope and shame were explored for their impact on the relationship between financial hardship and mental health. Participants completed measures of financial hardship, the psychological factors and measures of mental health three times a...

Objectives: Bipolar disorder (BD) is a mental health problem characterized by episodes of mania and depression which can lead to significant difficulties impairing one's daily functioning. Cross-sectional research has highlighted self-esteem and dysfunctional beliefs in those with this diagnosis, but there has been little research into how self-es...

A review of the literature investigating the role of psychological factors in the relationship between financial hardship and mental health was completed. The review sought to identify which factors have been most consistently and reliably indicated, and the mechanisms by which these factors are proposed to contribute to the association between har...

Audit of 145 service users who discharged having not completed DBT over past 4.5 years, looking at where and why Drop-Out occured.

Previous research has shown that psychoeducation for bipolar disorder (BD) improves symptoms and reduces relapse risk, but there is little research on how this impacts stigma, perceived recovery and views about diagnosis. The aim of this study was to explore whether a cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT)-based 12-week BD psychoeducation group conducte...

Evaluation of Bipolar psychoeducation group on views about diagnosis, self esteem, and perceived stigma and recovery.

Examines service evaluation analysing predictors of drop out from CBT for psychosis.

Outlines a longitudinal mediation study of psychological factors links objective and subjective financial hardship with poor mental health.

Results • More symptoms of depression were correlated with: • Lower self-esteem. • Greater attitudes around achievement. • Greater attitudes around dependency. • More symptoms of mania were correlated with: • Greater attitudes around achievements and goal-focus. • Greater goal-focused attitudes. • Lower self-esteem predicted symptoms of depression...

Background Dropout from mental health services is a significant problem, leading to inefficient use of resources and poorer outcomes for clients. Adapted Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), often termed Emotional Coping Skills (ECS) programmes, show some of the highest rates of dropout from therapy recorded in the literature. Aims The present stud...

This presentation summarises results from 3 studies of psychological mechanisms involved in the relationship between cannabis use and psychosis.

p>Objectives: to evaluate whether demographic and clinical variables are related to disengagement rates in cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for psychosis in a clinical setting. Methods: the medical records and symptom severity data (from Health of the Nation Outcome Scales) were analysed retrospectively for 103 referrals for CBT for psychosis i...

Heavy cannabis use is associated with an increased risk of psychosis, though this is not a simple, direct relationship. It is likely that a combination of biological, social and psychological factors play a part. ‘Cognitive-fusion’ describes the extent to which we are unable to step back from our thoughts and feelings. In cannabis users, those who...

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of computer-assisted forms of cognitive-behavior therapy for major depressive disorder (MDD) and examine the role of clinician support and other factors that might affect outcomes. Data sources: Ovid MEDLINE, PsycINFO, PubMed, and Scopus from their beginnings to July 18, 2016. Keywords were “randomized, controlle...

Abstract Background: Previous research suggests that CBT focusing on worry in those with persecutory delusions reduces paranoia, severity of delusions and associated distress. Aims: This preliminary case series aimed to see whether it is feasible and acceptable to deliver worry focused CBT in a group setting to those with psychosis. A secondary aim...

Objectives: A number of psychological variables have been shown to be prominent in Bipolar Disorder. However no research has looked at the relationship between financial difficulties and psychological factors in Bipolar Disorder. Aims: This study aims to look at the relationship between financial difficulties and psychological factors in Bipolar Di...

Background: There has been little research on whether finances affect mental health in bipolar disorder. Aims: This study aimed to examine the relationship between finances and mental health in bipolar disorder across two time points. Methods: Fifty-four participants with bipolar disorder in a National Health Service community mental health se...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine whether financial variables impact psychosis risk over time in students. Design/methodology/approach – In total, 408 first-year British undergraduate students completed measures assessing psychosis risk and finances at three time points. Findings – Greater financial difficulties increased psychosis...

Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) has been found to be effective for various mental health disorders but the processes through which it affects change remain unclear. Much process research in the area is on physical rather than mental health, and focuses on the broad concept of psychological flexibility with little research on specific mechan...

Background: Previous studies have demonstrated Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is effective for depression and may be useful for complex transdiagnostic clients. Aims: To conduct a preliminary evaluation whether ACT is feasible and effective when delivered by psychologists and non-psychologists for complex clients in a National Health Servi...

The reliability of the PHQ-9 and GAD-7 as measures of depression and anxiety is well established in primary care. The present study evaluates whether or not differences occur for patients cared within a primary versus secondary mental health service. Pre-treatment scores for patients were included in a cross-sectional cohort design. Reliability of...

The person-centred typological approach to personality makes the distinction between overcontrolled and undercontrolled personality types. This review systematically searched for research on the utility of these personality types in adult mental health. A total of 43 papers were included, which were divided broadly into cross-sectional studies, lon...

Summarises research on Solent NHS Trust: One published paper and two submitted. Describes preliminary Psychological Model

Discusses a qualitative and quantitative study of relationship between finances and mental health in Bipolar Disorder. Describes a preliminary psychological model developed from these findings.

Presentation about considerations for mental health staff about working with dual diagnosis.

Numerous studies have shown that cannabis use increases the risk of psychosis. There are a number of factors which increase the risk of this such as heavier use, starting use younger, being high in schizotypy and experiencing childhood sexual abuse. Previous explanations for why cannabis use leads to psychosis have been predominantly genetic or neu...

Background: Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) is effective for Psychosis and recommended by NICE guidelines. It has been noted that a high proportion of clients might dropout however and care needs to be taken to engage clients. Despite this there has been little research into predictors of drop out for such therapy. Methods: A retrospective analy...

Purpose Previous cross-sectional research has examined the effect of loneliness on mental health. The purpose of this paper is to examine longitudinal relationships in students. Design/methodology/approach A total of 454 British undergraduate students completed measures of loneliness and mental health at four time points. Findings After controlli...

Background: Previous research has shown a relationship between financial difficulties and poor mental health in students, but most research is cross-sectional. Objectives: To examine longitudinal relationships over time between financial variables and mental health in students. Methods: A national sample of 454 first year British undergraduate stud...

This paper uses a qualitative methodology to explore how those with a diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder view their mental health as related to their finances. Themes identified were guilt around impulse spending, comfort spending and avoidant coping with finances.

https://thepsychologist.bps.org.uk/volume-29/december-2016/gaining-momentum-honesty

Purpose: Previous cross-sectional research has examined effect of loneliness on mental health. This study aimed to examine longitudinal relationships in students. Design/Methodology: 454 British undergraduate students completed measures of loneliness and mental health at four time points. Findings: After controlling for demographics and baseline m...