Effects of CBT on perceived quality of life in bipolar I disorder

Objectives. - The treatment of bipolar disorder is mainly dominated prophylaxis. However, although mood stabilizers are effective for more than half the cases, a high proportion of patients continue to have mood swings persistent and debilitating. We propose in this paper to evaluate specifically the impact of group CBT on the quality of life in bipolar patients. Patients and methods. - Eighty patients with bipolar I (CBT group) received CBT in addition to mood stabilizer treatment, 23 patients (control group) continued their usual treatment. Clinical assessment and quality of life was performed at baseline and after treatment using the following tools: World Health Organization Quality Of Life-26, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, Beck Depression Inventory, Mania Rating Scale, Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, Dysfunctional Attitudes Scale. Results. - Our results show a significant improvement of the quality of life for patients following CBT, particularly in terms of physical health, psychological health and social relationships, regardless the improvement of mood symptoms. Conclusion. - Cognitive changes made during therapy, their enactment by active participation in the group, increasing interpersonal skills will therefore contribute to some, beyond reduced depressive symptoms, improving the perceived quality life, particularly in psychosocial domains. (C) 2011 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.