About
We all experience variations in mood and energy. For some people, these variations are extreme, sometimes becoming dysfunctional and requiring assistance. Until recently, psychiatry was the discipline that paid most attention to these extreme states, so they are typically framed in medical terms, and for about 30 years have been given the name bipolar disorder. In recent years, psychological theories and therapies have impacted the description, explanation, and management of bipolar disorder. BEAT LAB is a group of clinical researchers committed to advancing this important scientific work, for the benefit of people burdened with the disorder, and to improve our understanding of human nature.
Research
Our research aims to progress understanding and amelioration of bipolar disorder by embracing its full biopsychosocial complexity. We understand bipolar disorder fundamentally as a disturbance of motivation, a dysfunctional variant of normal environmental engagement (Research Stream 1). We believe individuals with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder should be understood from three perspectives: their first person lived experience, nomothetic research into their disorder, and relationally as collaborators in their own wellbeing (Research Stream 2). Clinical science into bipolar disorder should prioritise end-user involvement at every research stage, and attend to the challenge of knowledge translation (Research Stream 3).
Lucknow lecture 1: general population chronopsychology
Lucknow lecture 2 mood disorder chronopsychology
Diurnal variation in reward regions systematic review
Diurnal variation in reward regions
Chronotype and personality traits
School timing and adolescent sleep
Sleep, circadian rhythms and mood brief questionnaire
Daily routines and mood editorial
BEAT Covid study quantitative findings
BEAT Covid study qualitative findings
Clinical guidelines for lifestyle based care of major depression
RANZCP Mood disorder guidelines 2020
Overview of circadian science in psychiatry
Measurement issues in chronobiology of bipolar disorder
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Our Team
Professor Greg Murray
Professor Greg Murray, PhD, FAPS is an academic clinical psychologist with a national and international reputation for clinical psychology research. He is ranked in the top 1% of researchers worldwide in the fields of bipolar disorders, circadian rhythms, personality and affect.
Dr Kat Fletcher
Dr Kathryn Fletcher is an academic clinical psychologist and Postdoctoral Research Fellow located at Swinburne University of Technology. She took out her PhD in 2013 from the School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, following extensive research in the field of mood disorders under the mentorship of the Black Dog Institute clinical and research team.
Dr Ben Bullock
Dr. Bullock is an active researcher of bipolar disorder with a particular focus on temperament, personality, and traits of vulnerability in normal populations. Specific expertise in actigraphy, sleep, and circadian rhythms is applied to the investigation of bipolar disorder. Dr Bullock has an established publication record in international scientific journals.
DR JESSICA HARTMANN
Dr Jessica Hartmann is an academic clinical psychologist and Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Orygen. She took out her PhD in 2014 from the MHeNS School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Netherlands.
Associate Professor Neil Thomas
Associate Professor Neil Thomas is a clinical psychologist who conducts research to develop psychological and self-management interventions for people with persisting mental health problems including bipolar disorder. He is a collaborator of the BEAT lab and head of the PERISCOPE lab, which conducts research on psychosis.
Dr MONIKA RANITI
Monika Raniti completed the Master of Clinical Psychology and PhD at the University of Melbourne. Her PhD research is investigating whether a cognitive-behavioural therapy and mindfulness-based group sleep improvement intervention can prevent depression in adolescents who experience problems with sleep and anxiety (The SENSE Study).
DR Emma Morton
Emma’s primary research interest is quality of life in bipolar disorder. This includes the conceptualization and measurement of quality of life, the lived experience of quality of life, psychosocial approaches to improving quality of life in bipolar disorder, and the relationship between quality of life and bipolar disorder symptoms over time. She was awarded the Swinburne University best PhD thesis prize in 2018, and continues to collaborate with Beat Lab in her prestigious postdoc position at University of British Columbia.
Ms Amanda Dulawatta
Ms Amanda Daluwatta is a PhD candidate who aims to develop culturally sensitive interventions that have direct potential for translation into clinical practice. By harnessing technology and taking into account the diversity of Australians, her research will contribute to strengthening the Australian healthcare system.
Dr HAILEY TREMAIN
Dr Hailey Tremain completed her PhD (no changes, rave reviews from examiners) at Swinburne University of Technology. Her PhD research focuses on the role of stage of illness in bipolar disorder and its implications for psychological interventions. This includes her work on the ORBIT project under Dr Greg Murray. She is interested in the role of technology in serious mental health conditions. Hailey is also a trainee at CREST.BD.
DR JAMIE BYRNE
Dr Jamie Byrne is an academic clinical psychologist at Deakin University. She completed her PhD in the Beat Lab via a series of influential studies on circadian rhythms, sleep, and reward circuitry.
Lisa mastin-purcell
Lisa Mastin-Purcell is a provisional psychologist at Swinburne University of Technology currently completing her Doctor of Philosophy in Clinical Psychology. Her research investigates the role of psychological inflexibility in how people relate to positive emotions and appetitive rewards. She is interested in understanding the psychological mechanisms involved and the parameters around when inflexibility is, and is not, central to psychological distress.
YAN YANG
Yan Yang is a researcher at Swinburne’s Centre for Mental Health. She is currently undertaking her PhD research investigating self-compassion and non-attachment to self as therapeutic mechanisms targeting vulnerability of self-concept in bipolar disorder.
Michael diamond
Michael Diamond is an honours student at the Swinburne University of Technology. He is currently conducting research on bipolar disorder; specifically its diagnostic criteria as well as its relationship to sleep. In addition to his strong clinical interest in bipolar and mood disorders, he is passionate about statistics and the application of technology to psychological research and practice.
piyumi kahawage
Piyumi Kahawage is a provisional psychologist currently completing her Doctor of Philosophy in Clinical Psychology at Swinburne University of Technology. She is interested in advancing the understanding of the relationship between chronobiology and mood. Her PhD research aims to refine existing chronobiological interventions to develop a novel, multifaceted, self-managed chronobehavioural intervention to improve mood, sleep and general wellbeing transdiagnostically.
jake elijah payne
Mr Jake Elijah Payne is a masters of clinical psychology student and PhD candidate exploring the relationship between mindfulness and psychedelic interventions. His project involves the development and trial of a mindfulness-assisted psychedelic intervention for improving well-being related outcomes in healthy populations and understanding how elements of such a protocol may be applied amongst clinical populations.
lauren johansen
Lauren Johansen is a provisional psychologist and PhD student at Swinburne University of Technology. She is interested in the development of novel treatments for mood disorders. Her PhD research is investigating the mechanisms of action in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy when treating depression.
zhao hui koh
Zhao Hui Koh is a PhD candidate at Swinburne University of Technology. As part of the Digital Health CRC initiative, his research examines ways to promote and empower the self-management of mental health/wellbeing in the general public through digital platforms. His research also explores aspects of the human-computer interface and personal analytics using tools from artificial intelligence and data science.
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