Researchers at the University of Leeds are looking for volunteers to be interviewed about the ways in which Christianity might interact with the experience of altered moods (often called depression, bipolar, or mood disorders).
Revd Anthea Colledge (left, who worships in the diocese and is Chaplaincy Development Worker at the University of Sheffield) is conducting the research as part of her PhD. She says, “Volunteers don't need to have a diagnosis, just having the experience of being disruptively high or low is enough.
"People may describe it differently, such as having a breakdown, mood swings, or an emotional or spiritual crisis. Or indeed they may simply regard it as a rational response to an extreme situation.
“Some people find that Christianity helps them understand or recover from their mood changes. Others find that their experience of depression or bipolar changes the way that they understand their faith. So we are interviewing anyone with lived experience of both Christianity and altered mood to help us understand how people make sense of their experiences.”
If you’d like to contribute, visit the website here.