The Effectiveness of Short-Term Group Psychoeducation for Patients With Bipolar Disorder in Japan

Introduction Psychoeducation is a form of psychosocial treatment with proven efficacy in preventing the relapse of bipolar disorder (BD). However, the effectiveness of psychoeducation has not been verified in Japan. We aimed to examine the effect of a brief group psychoeducation course (eight-session long) on relapse prevention in Japanese patients with BD and associated factors. Methods This single-arm, mirror-image study included 55 patients with BD. To verify the effectiveness of relapse prevention, the numbers of hospitalizations during the two years before and two years after participation were compared. Manic and depressive symptoms, treatment satisfaction, and self-efficacy (SE) in coping with illness were also assessed. Results The number of hospitalizations for the 47 participants who completed the program decreased significantly after psychoeducation. Overall, SE improved significantly after participation, but not among the participants who were hospitalized during the observation period. The hospitalized participants were significantly older, had more hospitalizations during the two years before participation, and had lower SE after participation than the non-hospitalized participants. They also exhibited higher depression levels after participation than before participation. Limitations The results of this single-arm, single-center study should be confirmed in future randomized controlled trials or other studies with a larger number of patients to demonstrate their generalizability. Conclusions Brief group psychoeducation courses may decrease relapse among Japanese patients with BD. A high number of hospitalizations prior to the psychoeducation program, older age, more severe depressive symptoms after participation than before participation, and low SE after participation could be associated with relapse.