Family interventions for bipolar disorder: a review of the literature

Pharmacotherapy is the front-line treatment for bipolar disorder, but for many patients, pharmacotherapy alone fails to fully remit symptoms. The present review surveyed existing treatment-outcome randomized controlled trials of adjunctive family-based interventions for bipolar disorder. A review of PubMed databases performed on 1 September 2011 revealed ten unique randomized controlled trials of family-based interventions for bipolar disorder. Approaches to intervention varied, but results indicated that family-based psychoeducation is effective in reducing relapse of manic symptoms, while family-based psychotherapeutic interventions are more effective in reducing relapse of depressive symptoms. More studies are needed to determine which types of intervention are most effective.