Efficacy of psychoeducation in bipolar patients: Systematic review of randomized trials.

Abstract

Bipolar disorder is a recurrent and chronic disorder with significant morbidity and mortality. Currently, pharmacological treatment is considered indispensable in bipolar disorder. However, despite advances in this area, treatment remains suboptimal. A large body of research has shown that innumerable psychosocial factors influence the emergence of mood disorders. Therefore, in addition to pharmacological strategies, psychological interventions are increasingly recognized as an essential component in the treatment of bipolar patients. Among the various approaches of psychosocial interventions, psychoeducation (PE) has been one of the most used. Thus, the aim of this review was to evaluate the efficacy of PE in the clinical course, treatment adherence, and psychosocial functioning of bipolar patients by collecting data from controlled trials that used solely PE as a psychosocial approach. A systematic review of the literature was performed in the PubMed and SCOPUS databases, without date limits, using the following keywords: Psychoeducation and Bipolar disorder. We found 13 randomized controlled trials. Psychoeducation significantly improved the clinical course, treatment adherence, and psychosocial functioning of bipolar patients. It also reduced the number of relapses and recurrences per patient and increased the time to depressive, manic, hypomanic, and mixed recurrences. The number and length of hospitalizations per patient were also lower in patients who received PE. Although we found a limited number of randomized controlled trials that evaluated the efficacy of PE in bipolar disorder, the studies showed positive results in reducing relapse rates and improving long-term treatment adherence. Additionally, PE intervention improves the knowledge of the illness for both patients and caregivers to reduce their distress and improve overall social functioning.

Psychoeducation for relapse prevention in bipolar disorder: a systematic review of efficacy in randomized controlled trials

“…1 and further discussion in ). It is therefore not surprising that studies included in recent reviews of psychoeducation for bipolar disorder have had considerable overlap with those in broader reviews of psychological therapies for relapse prevention .…”

“…These are education about the illness, the importance of regular routines and medication adherence, early detection of warning signs of relapse with strategies to prevent progression into full episodes, and enhancement of general coping strategies . Reviews of psychoeducation for bipolar disorder, while concluding that it is effective in preventing relapse , have commented that more evidence is needed that psychoeducation itself is effective, rather than as part of a multicomponent approach , and that the active ingredient and level of expertise needed for effective delivery are unclear .…”

Changes in The Signs, Symptoms, and Anger Management of Patients with A Risk of Violent Behavior After Receiving Assertive Training and Family Psychoeducation Using Roy’s Theoretical Approach: A Case Report

“…Family psychoeducation not only benefits the family but also the patient by reducing recurrence and violent behavior (Batista, Baes & Juruena, 2011;Harvey & O'Hanlon, 2013). Rahayu, Hamid, and Sabri (2011) reported that families who recieve family psychoeducation improve in their ability to provide psychosocial support to sick family members.…”

Effectiveness of Simple Individual Psychoeducation for Bipolar II Disorder

“…Psychoeducation has been one of the most investigated psychotherapies [ 10 ] and is recommended by several guidelines as a first choice for the maintenance treatment of bipolar disorder [ 7 , 11 ]. Colom and colleagues reported the efficacy of 21-session group psychoeducation on relapse prevention in patients with bipolar II disorders in a randomized controlled trial [ 9 ].…”