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Minerva Psichiatrica 2003 September;44(3):119-28

Copyright © 2003 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Psychological treatment outcome studies in bipolar disorders

Scott J.

The increased acceptance of stress-vulnerability models of severe mental disorders and of brief evidence-based psychological treatments in their treatment has finally led to increased interest in the role of psychotherapies in bipolar disorders. This paper highlights the rationale for the use of psychological treatments as an adjunct to usual treatment and reviews current ideas on psychobiosocial models of bipolar disorders (BP). The randomized controlled trials of specific therapy models, such as cognitive therapy (CT), that tackle a spectrum of complex psychological and social problems associated with BP are compared and contrasted with technique driven approaches that target one specific problem area, such as medication adherence. Treatment outcome studies generally support the use of adjunctive psychological approaches, but it is not clear if any therapy has any unique or specific advantages over any other approach.