A Real-World Study of the Association between a Brief Group Psychoeducation and the Course of Bipolar Disorder

Elisabet Casellas, Beatriz Raventós, Marina Piñeiro-Ríos, Helena Navarro-Martínez, Maite Castillón-Espezel, Maria J. Portella and Ana Martín-Blanco
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Elisabet Casellas: Sant Pau Biomedical Research Institute (IIB-Sant Pau), Department of Psychiatry, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, 08041 Barcelona, Spain
Beatriz Raventós: Centre de Salut Mental D’adults (CSMA) de Sarria-Sant Gervasi, Associació Centre D’higiene Mental Les Corts, Grup CHM Salut Mental, 08029 Barcelona, Spain
Marina Piñeiro-Ríos: Department of Psychiatry, Hospital Universitari Mútua de Terrassa, 08221 Barcelona, Spain
Helena Navarro-Martínez: Institut de Neuropsiquiatria I Addiccions (INAD), Parc de Salut Mar, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
Maite Castillón-Espezel: Department of Psychiatry, Consorci Sanitari de Mataró, 08304 Mataró, Spain
Maria J. Portella: Sant Pau Biomedical Research Institute (IIB-Sant Pau), Department of Psychiatry, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, 08041 Barcelona, Spain
Ana Martín-Blanco: Sant Pau Biomedical Research Institute (IIB-Sant Pau), Department of Psychiatry, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, 08041 Barcelona, Spain

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 9, 1-10

Abstract: Although pharmacotherapy is considered the first-line treatment for bipolar disorders (BD), adjunctive psychoeducation has proven its effectiveness in improving self-management of the disease and reducing relapse rates. Few studies have evaluated the effect of brief group psychoeducation on pragmatic variables, such as the number of hospitalizations. The aim of the present study was to assess the mid-term effect of a four-session group psychoeducation on course-related variables in BD. Thirty-two individuals with BD were included in the study. Sixteen were exposed to psychoeducation and were matched to sixteen nonexposed individuals who received their usual treatment. Both groups were compared on insight, treatment adherence, change in the number of hospitalizations and visits to the emergency services, occurrence rate after intervention, and time to the first psychiatric hospitalization and the first urgent attendance. There was a significant reduction in the mean number of hospitalizations and urgent attendances in the exposed group in comparison to the nonexposed group. The first urgent attendance was significantly sooner in the nonexposed cohort. There were no differences between groups in any of the other variables. This intervention has shown benefits for pragmatic variables of the disease course and may be a feasible and cost-effective intervention to routinely implement in the management of BD.

Keywords: bipolar disorder; group psychoeducation; disease progression; recurrence; treatment adherence; insight (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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