BACKGROUND: Recent reviews of evidence-based guidelines for the clinical management of Bipolar Disorders (BD) have recommended that "all patients with BD be offered group or individual psychoeducation" to prevent relapse, improve treatment adherence, quality of life, and functioning. The present study evaluated the effectiveness of psychoeducation in routine mental health services in reducing number of hospitalisations and number of days spent in hospital, at a 1-year follow-up. METHODS: A total of 102 outpatients were recruited from two Italian Departments of Mental Health. Inclusion criteria were a lifetime BD type I or II diagnosis, assessed with SCID, and ≥ 3 months of euthymia. Exclusion criteria were DSM-IV Axis I comorbidity, mental retardation (IQ<70), organic brain damage, or deafness. All participants received standard psychiatric care, including standard pharmacological treatment; the experimental group also received 21 group psychoeducation sessions, weekly held and conducted according to Colom and Vieta's model. RESULTS: The number of patients hospitalised during the 1-year follow-up, the mean number of hospitalisations per patient, and the mean number of hospitalisation days were significantly lower for psychoeducated patients. CONCLUSION: Our findings support the view that group psychoeducation is an effective way to prevent hospitalisation and decrease hospital days in pharmacologically treated patients with bipolar disorder also in routine clinical settings. The results confirm that psychoeducation promotes improvement in illness course by preventing acute phases and enhancing mood stability, and consequently, improvement in the quality of life for people with BD.
BACKGROUND: Recent reviews of evidence-based guidelines for the clinical management of Bipolar Disorders (BD) have recommended that "all patients with BD be offered group or individual psychoeducation" to prevent relapse, improve treatment adherence, quality of life, and functioning. The present study evaluated the effectiveness of psychoeducation in routine mental health services in reducing number of hospitalisations and number of days spent in hospital, at a 1-year follow-up. METHODS: A total of 102 outpatients were recruited from two Italian Departments of Mental Health. Inclusion criteria were a lifetime BD type I or II diagnosis, assessed with SCID, and ≥ 3 months of euthymia. Exclusion criteria were DSM-IV Axis I comorbidity, mental retardation (IQ<70), organic brain damage, or deafness. All participants received standard psychiatric care, including standard pharmacological treatment; the experimental group also received 21 group psychoeducation sessions, weekly held and conducted according to Colom and Vieta's model. RESULTS: The number of patients hospitalised during the 1-year follow-up, the mean number of hospitalisations per patient, and the mean number of hospitalisation days were significantly lower for psychoeducated patients. CONCLUSION: Our findings support the view that group psychoeducation is an effective way to prevent hospitalisation and decrease hospital days in pharmacologically treated patients with bipolar disorder also in routine clinical settings. The results confirm that psychoeducation promotes improvement in illness course by preventing acute phases and enhancing mood stability, and consequently, improvement in the quality of life for people with BD.
Authors: Guillermo Lahera; Carmen Bayón; Maria Fe Bravo-Ortiz; Beatriz Rodríguez-Vega; Sara Barbeito; Margarita Sáenz; Caridad Avedillo; Rosa Villanueva; Amaia Ugarte; Ana González-Pinto; Consuelo de Dios Journal: BMC Psychiatry Date: 2014-08-15 Impact factor: 3.630
Authors: Mohammad Jafar Bahredar; Ali Asghar Asgharnejad Farid; Ahmad Ghanizadeh; Behrooz Birashk Journal: Int J Community Based Nurs Midwifery Date: 2014-01
Authors: Chiara Buizza; Valentina Candini; Clarissa Ferrari; Alberto Ghilardi; Francesco Maria Saviotti; Cesare Turrina; Gianluigi Nobili; Margherita Sabaudo; Giovanni de Girolamo Journal: Front Psychiatry Date: 2019-11-26 Impact factor: 4.157