Bipolar DisorderRECOVER-ENCT03922425
Community-based Mental Health Care for People With Severe and Enduring Mental III Health
A study testing Community mental health team in people with Bipolar Disorder and Schizophrenia, run by The National Center for Public Health and Analyzes, Bulgaria at 1 site in Bulgaria.
Trial summary
A single-blinded hybrid effectiveness-implementation trial (Type II), that both evaluates the intervention outcomes (clinical and service use outcomes) through patient-randomization in the implementation sites, as well as evaluates the implementation strategy chosen for the intervention and its impact on… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 65 years
- Conditions the study is for
- Bipolar Disorder, Schizophrenia, Severe Depression
- What is being tested?
- Community mental health team
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 180 participants
- Where
- 1 siteBulgaria
- Study dates
- 1 Jan 2018to 1 Jun 2022
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 to 65 years
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Age 18-65
- Current service users, with severe and enduring mental disorder,
- Severe Mental Illnesses - bipolar disorder, severe depression, or schizophrenia
Who cannot join
- Patients who do not consent to their data being collected
- Patients with acute somatic disorders
- Patients who are under the age of 18 at the start of the study.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
About this study
Official title: Large Scale Implementation of Community Based Mental Health Care for People With Severe and Enduring Mental Ill Health in Europe
A single-blinded hybrid effectiveness-implementation trial (Type II), that both evaluates the intervention outcomes (clinical and service use outcomes) through patient-randomization in the implementation sites, as well as evaluates the implementation strategy chosen for the intervention and its impact on implementation outcomes (e.g. adoption, fidelity, acceptability and maintenance (continued implementation) of the intervention).
Read the detailed description
The overall goal of the study is to contribute to improving the level of functioning and quality of life and mental health outcomes for people with severe and enduring mental ill health (SMI) (schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression) by adapting and upscaling the implementation of a community-based service delivery model in Montenegro. Effectiveness component of the trial: Multidisciplinary community mental health teams for people with SMI. The intervention condition offers flexible, assertive community treatment (FACT) in the community for people with SMI. FACT can intensify (e.g. provide more intensive treatment in the form of daily home visits, crisis care at home, more intensive evidence-based psycho-social and pharmacological treatments) or provide less intensive treatment depending on client need. It can also provide less intensive care during non-crisis periods, offering routine home treatment where a combination of psychological and pharmacological treatments (e.g. cognitive behavioral therapy, motivational interviewing, family-based interventions) are offered, as well as care processes (reviewing recovery and crisis/treatment plans, and the clients' Wellness Recovery Action Plan), and social care interventions (assistance in obtaining or maintaining employment, looking for reasonable accommodation options). Care offered in this project in the intervention condition will be provided by a multidisciplinary community mental health team (CMHT), consisting of a diverse set of professionals including psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses, and social workers, that deliver integrated medical and social care that are focused on (symptomatic-, functional- and personal-) recovery. CMHTs will provide home-based treatment inclusive of crisis resolution services and procedures for early recognition of sub-clinical psychosis and bipolar disorder, ACT, and intensive case management. Integrated care (i.e. health and social care interventions) will be provided to all clients. Furthermore, health and social care evidence-based interventions for severe mental illnesses will be employed during home treatment, such as family-based interventions, motivational interviewing, and cognitive behavioral therapies, combined with medication management and identifying employment (paid and unpaid options) and support in finding and maintaining this employment, (Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) recovery groups and housing opportunities. Comparison condition: Usual care Health care settings and their providers randomized to the control condition receive usual care.
- Conditions
- Bipolar Disorder, Schizophrenia, Severe Depression
- Being tested
- Community mental health team
- Keywords
- Severe mental illnesses
- Medical subject headings
- Bipolar Disorder, Schizophrenia, Depression, Mental Disorders
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Community mental health teamOther
Also called CMHT
CMHT will provide home-based treatment inclusive of crisis resolution services and procedures for early recognition of subclinical psychosis and bipolar disorder, and intensive case management. Integrated care (i.e. health and social care interventions) will be provided to all clients. Furthermore, health and social care evidence-based interventions for severe mental illness (SMI) will be employed during home treatment, such as family-based interventions, motivational interviewing, and cognitive behavioural therapies, combined with medication management and identifying employment (paid and non paid options) and support in finding and maintaining this employment, recovery groups and housing opportunities.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Community mental health team (CMHT) | Experimental | CMHTs will be multidisciplinary; that is, staff will be appointed to the CMHTs that include nurses, social workers, psychiatrists, psychologists, and in this project, a peer expert (a person with lived experience of mental health services). All staff within the CMHT will have defined roles and responsibilities that align with the staff functions, roles and linkages detailed in evidence-based service delivery models for community mental health teams. Participant will randomly be assigned to CMHT that will provide outreach mental health care during the project. Receives: Other: Community mental health team |
| Standard care | No intervention | Not described |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Changes in daily functioning
World Health Organisation Disability Assessment Schedule 2 (WHODAS2) measures health and disability-level of functioning in 6 domains:Cognition, Mobility, Self-care,Getting along, Life activities, Participation in community activities.The instrument is self-reporting; can be administered by a health worker if needed. Answers are distributed into 5 categories:"none","mild","moderate","severe"and"extreme or cannot do". It ends with 3 items where answers are presented as number of days (when difficulties were present). Score on any dimension ranges 0 to 7, results are depicted in a diagram which reflects relation between dimensions(the higher the score, the lower level of difficulties/better functioning) and changes over time
Measured: Baseline, 12 months and 18 months
Secondary outcomes (1)
Change in health-related quality of life
Euro Quality of Life Index (Euro QoL 5-D 3-L). The instrument measures five dimensions: Mobility, Self-care, Daily activities, Pain/Discomfort and Anxiety/ Depression. Each dimension can be rated at three levels: from no problems to major problems. The five dimensions can be summed into a descriptive health state with 11111 representing no problems in any of the five health dimensions and 33333 indicating major problems in any of the five health dimensions. Second part of the instrument is the Visual Analogue Scale to assess health status at baseline, where 0 signifies worst imaginable health state, and 100 signifies best imaginable health state.
Measured: Baseline, 12 months and 18 months
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted22 Apr 2019
- Study start1 Jan 2018
- Primary completion1 Jan 2022 (estimated)
- Study completion1 Jun 2022 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (5)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Bipolar DisorderStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Supportive care
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 180 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- The National Center for Public Health and Analyzes, Bulgaria
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Stichting Trimbos-Instituut
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT03922425
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 01052019
- Acronym
- RECOVER-E
- Status last verified
- Mar 2021
- First submitted
- 17 Apr 2019
- Last updated
- 3 Mar 2021
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- Yes
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
Publications
Wijnen B, Smit F, Uhernik AI, Zegrec A, Dedovic J, Dinolova R, Nica R, Tomcuk A, Velickovski R, Wensing M, Shields-Zeeman L, Petrea I. Cost-effectiveness of community versus hospital-based mental healthcare for severe mental illness in South-East Europe: economic evaluation of five randomised trials. Eur J Health Econ. 2026 Jul 3. doi: 10.1007/s10198-026-01960-1. Online ahead of print.
PubMed 42393474Shields-Zeeman L, Smit F, Wijnen B, Roth C, Wensing M, Petrea I; RECOVER-E consortium; Bolinski F, Bajraktarov S, Dedovic J, Keet R, Rojnic Kuzman M, Nakov V, Nica R, Novotni A, Tomcuk A, Djurisic T, Morales G, Rotaru Anghelescu T; RECOVER-E study. Community versus institutionalised care for people with severe mental illness in five countries in Southeast Europe: pooled analysis of five randomised trials. BMJ Glob Health. 2025 Oct 23;10(10):e018594. doi: 10.1136/bmjgh-2024-018594.
PubMed 41130742Roth C, Wensing M, Kuzman MR, Bjedov S, Medved S, Istvanovic A, Grbic DS, Simetin IP, Tomcuk A, Dedovic J, Djurisic T, Nica RI, Rotaru T, Novotni A, Bajraktarov S, Milutinovic M, Nakov V, Zarkov Z, Dinolova R, Walters BH, Shields-Zeeman L, Petrea I. Experiences of healthcare staff providing community-based mental healthcare as a multidisciplinary community mental health team in Central and Eastern Europe findings from the RECOVER-E project: an observational intervention study. BMC Psychiatry. 2021 Oct 24;21(1):525. doi: 10.1186/s12888-021-03542-2.
PubMed 34689733Wijnen BFM, Smit F, Uhernik AI, Istvanovic A, Dedovic J, Dinolova R, Nica R, Velickovski R, Wensing M, Petrea I, Shields-Zeeman L. Sustainability of Community-Based Specialized Mental Health Services in Five European Countries: Protocol for Five Randomized Controlled Trial-Based Health-Economic Evaluations Embedded in the RECOVER-E Program. JMIR Res Protoc. 2020 Jun 1;9(6):e17454. doi: 10.2196/17454.
PubMed 32476658Shields-Zeeman L, Petrea I, Smit F, Walters BH, Dedovic J, Kuzman MR, Nakov V, Nica R, Novotni A, Roth C, Tomcuk A, Wijnen BFM, Wensing M. Towards community-based and recovery-oriented care for severe mental disorders in Southern and Eastern Europe: aims and design of a multi-country implementation and evaluation study (RECOVER-E). Int J Ment Health Syst. 2020 Apr 22;14:30. doi: 10.1186/s13033-020-00361-y. eCollection 2020.
PubMed 32336984
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 3 Mar 2021. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Large Scale Implementation of Community Based Mental Health Care for People With Severe and Enduring Mental Ill Health in Europe
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT03922425
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- RECOVER-E / 01052019
- Conditions
- Bipolar Disorder, Schizophrenia, Severe Depression
- Keywords
- Severe mental illnesses
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Unknown status
- Enrolment
- 180 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- The National Center for Public Health and Analyzes, BulgariaUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Stichting Trimbos-Instituut
- Study start
- 1 Jan 2018 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 1 Jan 2022 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 1 Jun 2022 (estimated)
- First posted
- 22 Apr 2019 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
A single-blinded hybrid effectiveness-implementation trial (Type II), that both evaluates the intervention outcomes (clinical and service use outcomes) through patient-randomization in the implementation sites, as well as evaluates the implementation strategy chosen for the intervention and its impact on implementation outcomes (e.g. adoption, fidelity, acceptability and maintenance (continued implementation) of the intervention).
Detailed description
The overall goal of the study is to contribute to improving the level of functioning and quality of life and mental health outcomes for people with severe and enduring mental ill health (SMI) (schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression) by adapting and upscaling the implementation of a community-based service delivery model in Montenegro. Effectiveness component of the trial: Multidisciplinary community mental health teams for people with SMI. The intervention condition offers flexible, assertive community treatment (FACT) in the community for people with SMI. FACT can intensify (e.g. provide more intensive treatment in the form of daily home visits, crisis care at home, more intensive evidence-based psycho-social and pharmacological treatments) or provide less intensive treatment depending on client need. It can also provide less intensive care during non-crisis periods, offering routine home treatment where a combination of psychological and pharmacological treatments (e.g. cognitive behavioral therapy, motivational interviewing, family-based interventions) are offered, as well as care processes (reviewing recovery and crisis/treatment plans, and the clients' Wellness Recovery Action Plan), and social care interventions (assistance in obtaining or maintaining employment, looking for reasonable accommodation options). Care offered in this project in the intervention condition will be provided by a multidisciplinary community mental health team (CMHT), consisting of a diverse set of professionals including psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses, and social workers, that deliver integrated medical and social care that are focused on (symptomatic-, functional- and personal-) recovery. CMHTs will provide home-based treatment inclusive of crisis resolution services and procedures for early recognition of sub-clinical psychosis and bipolar disorder, ACT, and intensive case management. Integrated care (i.e. health and social care interventions) will be provided to all clients. Furthermore, health and social care evidence-based interventions for severe mental illnesses will be employed during home treatment, such as family-based interventions, motivational interviewing, and cognitive behavioral therapies, combined with medication management and identifying employment (paid and unpaid options) and support in finding and maintaining this employment, (Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) recovery groups and housing opportunities. Comparison condition: Usual care Health care settings and their providers randomized to the control condition receive usual care.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Supportive care
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Community mental health team (CMHT) | Experimental | Other: Community mental health teamCMHTs will be multidisciplinary; that is, staff will be appointed to the CMHTs that include nurses, social workers, psychiatrists, psychologists, and in this project, a peer expert (a person with lived experience of mental health services). All staff within the CMHT will have defined roles and responsibilities that align with the staff functions, roles and linkages detailed in evidence-based service delivery models for community mental health teams. Participant will randomly be assigned to CMHT that will provide outreach mental health care during the project. |
| Standard care | No intervention | – |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 65 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (3 listed)
- Age 18-65
- Current service users, with severe and enduring mental disorder,
- Severe Mental Illnesses - bipolar disorder, severe depression, or schizophrenia
Key exclusion criteria (3 listed)
- Patients who do not consent to their data being collected
- Patients with acute somatic disorders
- Patients who are under the age of 18 at the start of the study.
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Community mental health teamAlso: CMHTCMHT will provide home-based treatment inclusive of crisis resolution services and procedures for early recognition of subclinical psychosis and bipolar disorder, and intensive case management. Integrated care (i.e. health and social care interventions) will be provided to all clients. Furthermore, health and social care evidence-based interventions for severe mental illness (SMI) will be employed during home treatment, such as family-based interventions, motivational interviewing, and cognitive behavioural therapies, combined with medication management and identifying employment (paid and non paid options) and support in finding and maintaining this employment, recovery groups and housing opportunities. | Other | Community mental health team (CMHT) |
Primary outcome
Changes in daily functioning
Time frame: Baseline, 12 months and 18 months
World Health Organisation Disability Assessment Schedule 2 (WHODAS2) measures health and disability-level of functioning in 6 domains:Cognition, Mobility, Self-care,Getting along, Life activities, Participation in community activities.The instrument is self-reporting; can be administered by a health worker if needed. Answers are distributed into 5 categories:"none","mild","moderate","severe"and"extreme or cannot do". It ends with 3 items where answers are presented as number of days (when difficulties were present). Score on any dimension ranges 0 to 7, results are depicted in a diagram which reflects relation between dimensions(the higher the score, the lower level of difficulties/better functioning) and changes over time
1 secondary outcome
Change in health-related quality of life
Time frame: Baseline, 12 months and 18 months
Results and safety
Results are not available in the source record.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 3 Mar 2021.
- Derived from this study: PubMed 42393474Wijnen B, Smit F, Uhernik AI, Zegrec A, Dedovic J, Dinolova R, Nica R, Tomcuk A, Velickovski R, Wensing M, Shields-Zeeman L, Petrea I. Cost-effectiveness of community versus hospital-based mental healthcare for severe mental illness in South-East Europe: economic evaluation of five randomised trials. Eur J Health Econ. 2026 Jul 3. doi: 10.1007/s10198-026-01960-1. Online ahead of print.
- Derived from this study: PubMed 41130742Shields-Zeeman L, Smit F, Wijnen B, Roth C, Wensing M, Petrea I; RECOVER-E consortium; Bolinski F, Bajraktarov S, Dedovic J, Keet R, Rojnic Kuzman M, Nakov V, Nica R, Novotni A, Tomcuk A, Djurisic T, Morales G, Rotaru Anghelescu T; RECOVER-E study. Community versus institutionalised care for people with severe mental illness in five countries in Southeast Europe: pooled analysis of five randomised trials. BMJ Glob Health. 2025 Oct 23;10(10):e018594. doi: 10.1136/bmjgh-2024-018594.
- Derived from this study: PubMed 34689733Roth C, Wensing M, Kuzman MR, Bjedov S, Medved S, Istvanovic A, Grbic DS, Simetin IP, Tomcuk A, Dedovic J, Djurisic T, Nica RI, Rotaru T, Novotni A, Bajraktarov S, Milutinovic M, Nakov V, Zarkov Z, Dinolova R, Walters BH, Shields-Zeeman L, Petrea I. Experiences of healthcare staff providing community-based mental healthcare as a multidisciplinary community mental health team in Central and Eastern Europe findings from the RECOVER-E project: an observational intervention study. BMC Psychiatry. 2021 Oct 24;21(1):525. doi: 10.1186/s12888-021-03542-2.
- Derived from this study: PubMed 32476658Wijnen BFM, Smit F, Uhernik AI, Istvanovic A, Dedovic J, Dinolova R, Nica R, Velickovski R, Wensing M, Petrea I, Shields-Zeeman L. Sustainability of Community-Based Specialized Mental Health Services in Five European Countries: Protocol for Five Randomized Controlled Trial-Based Health-Economic Evaluations Embedded in the RECOVER-E Program. JMIR Res Protoc. 2020 Jun 1;9(6):e17454. doi: 10.2196/17454.
- Derived from this study: PubMed 32336984Shields-Zeeman L, Petrea I, Smit F, Walters BH, Dedovic J, Kuzman MR, Nakov V, Nica R, Novotni A, Roth C, Tomcuk A, Wijnen BFM, Wensing M. Towards community-based and recovery-oriented care for severe mental disorders in Southern and Eastern Europe: aims and design of a multi-country implementation and evaluation study (RECOVER-E). Int J Ment Health Syst. 2020 Apr 22;14:30. doi: 10.1186/s13033-020-00361-y. eCollection 2020.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
The record lists no contact. Use the official record to reach the sponsor.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Community mental health team in people with Bipolar Disorder and Schizophrenia, run by The National Center for Public Health and Analyzes, Bulgaria at 1 site in Bulgaria.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 3 inclusion and 3 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: status not confirmed, as of the sponsor's last update on 3 Mar 2021. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in Bulgaria. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
Results are not available in the source record.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Changes in daily functioning (time frame: Baseline, 12 months and 18 months). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT03922425, which also lists 5 linked publications.
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 3 Mar 2021.