[Bipolar disorder: helping the treatment]

[corrected] Psychoeducation programs for bipolar patients try to give them a theoretical and practical system to understand and cope with the consequences of this disorder. The published studies reviewed support the idea that patients included in this therapeutic approach present higher treatment compliance.

The purpose of our study is to specify the benefits of the psychoeducation programs, comparing the degree of knowledge of the illness (Measured by means of the Understanding Mood Disorder Questionnaire Gavazzi et al, 1997, Spanish version of Livianos and Rojo, 1998) of 10 patients included in our program with that of another 10 patients who attended the same lithium clinic, but were not included in the psychoeducation program.

There are statistically significant differences in the total of the scale as well as on the mania scale and known facts, but no differences on the depression scale.

The results allow us to stress the impact of the psychoeducation programs on the knowledge of illness.