The Effect of Psychoeducation on Insight and Treatment Adherence Among Patients with Psychotic Disorders in a High-...

This study aimed to determine the short-term effects of the Healthy Living Guide psychoeducation program on insight development and treatment adherence among 54 male patients diagnosed with psychotic disorders who were receiving treatment in a High-Security Forensic Psychiatry (HSFP) center.

All participants took part in a psychoeducation program during their hospitalization. Assessments were conducted both before and after the program using the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS), the Scale for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms (SAPS), the Schedule for the Assessment of Insight (SAI), the Global Assessment Scale (GAS), and the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), together with a Sociodemographic Data Form and the Violence Profile for Current Offense scale.

Following the psychoeducation program, reductions were observed in both positive and negative symptoms, along with improvements in functionality, insight, and treatment adherence. The program was particularly more effective in patients with lower baseline insight. However, for patients who had been admitted during an acute psychotic episode, the impact of the intervention remained limited even after clinical remission. Additionally, after the program, insight was negatively correlated with both positive and negative symptom severity.

The findings suggest that the Healthy Living Guide psychoeducation program, when implemented in forensic psychiatric populations, may serve as a complementary approach to treatment by contributing to symptom reduction, enhanced functionality, improved insight, and better treatment adherence in patients with psychotic disorders.