Family psychoeducation in the treatment of Bipolar Disorders: A clinical perspective

Bipolar disorder is a severe mood disorder characterized by recurrence of mania and depression. There is a reciprocal influence between bipolar disorder and the family: family attitudes can affect the course of the illness and conversely, bipolar disorder places an enormous burden on the relatives. This article aims to provide an overview of practice and research focusing on psychoeducation for relatives of bipolar patients. Studies on families of bipolar patients suggest that family interventions may reduce the risk of relapses and hospital admissions. According to these studies, both bipolar patients and their relatives are likely to benefit from family intervention as adjunctive treatment to pharmacotherapy. In order to overcome limitations of existing research, future studies should adjust for the effect of pharmacological treatment, the type and severity of psychopathology at baseline, and the occurrence of life events during the observation period.