Psychoeducation for patients with bipolar disorder - An exploratory study

We explored the effects of an education package on outpatients with bipolar disorder. The primary goals were to determine whether the patients' knowledge of the illness would be improved after an educational intervention and whether education would lead to changes in such areas as attitudes to lithium and psychiatric well-being. We also examined whether changes would be maintained at follow-up. This study included 10 patients with a DSM-III-R diagnosis of bipolar disorder. The patients were given a six-session education package that covered the following areas: 1) demographics; 2) aetiology; 3) illness (course and symptoms); 4) treatment; 5) hospital procedures; and 6) coping (including problem-solving) with the illness and stress. Patients were assessed immediately before and after the intervention, and at a B-month follow-up. The measures used were The Bipolar Knowledge Questionnaire, The Lithium Attitudes Questionnaire, The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, The Hopelessness Scale, The General Health Questionnaire, and The Use of Inpatient Psychiatric Services. The results show significant improvements in knowledge about the illness, attitudes towards lithium, and self-esteem. These effects were maintained at follow-up. There were modest reductions in pessimism about the future and psychiatric morbidity. The utilization of inpatient psychiatric services decreased for three patients, whereas the other seven patients did not use the services at all. There were no significant correlations between any of the variables. The findings suggest that the educational intervention was beneficial for manic depressives. However, a larger control study needs to be performed to confirm these preliminary findings.