Update on the treatment of bipolar disorder: the impact of family psychoeducation

Abstract

Abstract: Objective: to conduct a systematic review of the literature regarding the impact of family psychoeducation on the treatment of bipolar disorder. Methodology: PubMed, Lilacs, Web of A search was conducted in Science, Science Direct and Scopus using the descriptors: family psychoeducation and bipolar disorder. The last 13 years were considered. Results: 542 articles were found and after considering inclusion and exclusion criteria, 29 were selected for the study. Three other articles nominated by specialist were also used. Overall, patients diagnosed with bipolar disorder should be treated with drug therapy combined with psychotherapy. Most studies showed that the conventional treatment associated with psychoeducation reduced relapse rates and hospitalizations and that long-term programs generated better results. A comparison between supportive psychotherapy and family psychotherapy showed that it was only effective in patients who received the latter. Conclusion: although the role of pharmacological treatment is well established for the patient, (OU “ESTABLISHED IN LITERATURE”?) almost all articles consulted claim that if family psychoeducation is associated with medication, it can help with the early detection of warning signs of a crisis, reduce hospitalization rates and help reduce the number of drugs taken.