Systematic Reviews
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2021. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Psychiatr. Dec 19, 2021; 11(12): 1407-1424
Published online Dec 19, 2021. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v11.i12.1407
Psychoeducation in bipolar disorder: A systematic review
Juliana Lemos Rabelo, Breno Fiuza Cruz, Jéssica Diniz Rodrigues Ferreira, Bernardo de Mattos Viana, Izabela Guimarães Barbosa
Juliana Lemos Rabelo, Breno Fiuza Cruz, Izabela Guimarães Barbosa, Interdisciplinary Laboratory of Medical Investigation–School of Medicine, UFMG, Belo Horizonte 30130-100, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Juliana Lemos Rabelo, Breno Fiuza Cruz, Jéssica Diniz Rodrigues Ferreira, Bernardo de Mattos Viana, Izabela Guimarães Barbosa, Programa de Extensão em Psiquiatria e Psicologia de Idosos, UFMG, Belo Horizonte 30130-100, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Breno Fiuza Cruz, Bernardo de Mattos Viana, Izabela Guimarães Barbosa, Department of Mental Health, School of Medicine, UFMG, Belo Horizonte 30130-100, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Author contributions: Barbosa IG designed the research study; Rabelo JL and Barbosa IG performed the research, analyzed the data and wrote the manuscript; Cruz BF and Viana BM revised the analysis and wrote the manuscript; Ferreira JDR contributed to the discussion.
Conflict-of-interest statement: There is no conflict of interest.
PRISMA 2009 Checklist statement: The authors have read the PRISMA 2009 Checklist, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the PRISMA 2009 Checklist.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Izabela Guimarães Barbosa, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Mental Health, School of Medicine, UFMG, 190 Alfredo Balena Avenue, 281 Room, Belo Horizonte 30130-100, Minas Gerais, Brazil. izabelagb@gmail.com
Received: March 3, 2021
Peer-review started: March 3, 2021
First decision: June 5, 2021
Revised: June 11, 2021
Accepted: November 13, 2021
Article in press: November 13, 2021
Published online: December 19, 2021
Abstract
BACKGROUND

Bipolar disorder (BD) is a severe psychiatric disorder characterized by mood swings. Psychosocial interventions, such as psychoeducation, play an essential role in promoting social rehabilitation and improving pharmacological treatment.

AIM

To investigate the role of psychoeducation in BD.

METHODS

A systematic review of original studies regarding psychoeducation interventions in patients with BD and their relatives was developed. A systematic literature search was performed using the Medline, Scopus, and Lilacs databases. No review articles or qualitative studies were included in the analysis. There were no date restriction criteria, and studies published up to April 2021 were included.

RESULTS

A total of forty-seven studies were selected for this review. Thirty-eight studies included patients, and nine included family members. Psychoeducation of patients and family members was associated with a lower number of new mood episodes and a reduction in number and length of stay of hospitalizations. Psychoeducational interventions with patients are associated with improved adherence to drug treatment. The strategies studied in patients and family members do not interfere with the severity of symptoms of mania or depression or with the patient's quality of life or functionality. Psychoeducational interventions with family members do not alter patients' adherence to pharmacotherapy.

CONCLUSION

Psychoeducation as an adjunct strategy to pharmacotherapy in the treatment of BD leads to a reduction in the frequency of new mood episodes, length of hospital stay and adherence to drug therapy.

Keywords: Bipolar disorder, Mood disorders, Psychoeducation, Adherence, Mania, Depression

Core Tip: Bipolar disorder (BD) is a severe and chronic psychiatric disorder that requires intense treatment usually based on pharmacotherapy. Treatment applying psychotherapy adjunctive treatment is usually prescribed, although with inconsistent data. We aimed to perform a systematic review evaluating the evidence of psychoeducation in BD patients and their family members. Evidence suggests that psychoeducation of patients and family members is associated with a lower number of new mood episodes and a reduction in number and length of stay of hospitalizations. Psychoeducational interventions with patients are associated with improved adherence to drug treatment. Psychoeducation is a good interventional strategy for BD treatment.