Psychoeducation is an important element of psychiatric treatment. It has a significant role in promoting mental health, preventing mental illness, increasing mental health awareness, creating opportunities and improving the quality of life of the patient, caregivers and the community. To achieve these goals, psychoeducation programmes seek to provide families with the information they need about mental illness and the coping skills that will help them to deal with their loved one's psychiatric disorder. In a nutshell Psychoeducation’s goal is to offer education and therapeutic strategies to improve the quality of life for the family while decreasing the possibility of relapse for the patient (Solomon, 1996).

1. Psycho
education
for BPAD
KOTARI PUTESH,MPHIL,PSW
NET AND NFSC

2. Psychoeducation Interventions in
Mood Disorders
Psychoeducation helps in understanding about the illness and its treatment to
people with Bipolar disorders.
This treatment helps people recognize signs of relapse so they can seek
treatment early
i.e. before a full-blown episode occurs. In a group when Psychoeducation is done
it may be helpful for family members and caregivers

3. Family Focussed Treatment (FFT):
David J. Miklowitzand MJ Goldstein came up with this Family based
psychoeducation.
This approach of psychoeducation is primarily developed for the
treatment of bipolar patients (Miklowitz DJ & Goldstein MJ, 1990).

4. This model has three modules:
Model -1 Model-2 Model-3
1.In first FFT module,
psychoeducation is included and
it is generally given in 7 or more
sessions.
2.Patients and relatives during
this session are told about the
symptoms, nature, causes, and
treatment of bipolar disorder.
3.The targeted people will be
educated about the biological
and genetic underpinnings of
bipolar from a vulnerability–
stress diathesis perspective.
4.Participants are to be
educated to know the
prodromal signs of illness and
relapsing episodes (Falloon IRH,
1985).
1.The second module (7 to 10
sessions), aims to help patients
and caregivers to learn
communication skills for
dealing with intra familial stress
(active listening, requesting
changes in each other’s
behaviour, giving positive and
negative feedback)
2. techniques like role-
playing/behavior-rehearsal
format are generally used to
teach these people about
communication related skills
(Liberman RP et al., 1986).
1.Finally, in the third module
(4-5 sessions), participants
are given a framework for
defining problems and how
to develop as well as
implement effective
solutions to those problems.
2. This approach also aims to
instil problem solving and
coping skills of the caregivers
of these patients (Miklowitz
DJ et al., 2000).

5. Barcelona model of
Psychoeducation
1. Colom, Vieta and their collegues in 2003 came up with the Barcelona model of
psychoeducation. They suggested 9-12 patients for each group but it can be
raised to 15, considering the dropout of participants.
2. Patients in the euthymic phase are eligible to take part in sessions (Colom &
Vieta, 2006).
3. There are 5 important components in order to help patients cope effectively with
their illness in divided in the following session.
4. Total 21 sessions has to be take.

6. Sessions of the Barcelona psychoeducation
program for bipolar disorders
1. Awareness of the disorder:
Session 1. Introduction: Presentation and rules of the group
Session 2. What is bipolar disorder?
Session 3. Etiological and triggering factors (causes)
Session 4. Symptoms I: Mania and hypomania
Session 5. Symptoms II: Depression and mixed episodes
Session 6. Evolution and prognosis

7. 2. Drug adherence
Session 1. Treatment I:Mood stabilizers
Session 2. Treatment II: Antimanic drugs
Session 3. Treatment III: Antidepressants
Session 4. Plasma levels of mood stabilizers: lithium, carbamazepine and valproate
Session 5. Pregnancy and genetic advice
Session 6. Psychopharmacology vs. alternative therapies
Session 7. Risks associated with interruption of the treatment

8. Unit 3. Avoiding substance abuse
Session 1. Psychoactive substances: risks in bipolar disorder

9. 4. Early detection of new episodes
Session 1. Early detection of mania and hypomanic episodes
Session 2. Early detection of depressive and mixed episodes
Session 3. What to do when a new phase is detected?

10. 5. Regular habits and stress
management
Session 1. Regularity of habits
Session 2. Stress-control techniques
Session 3. Problem-solving strategies
Session 4. Final session

11. Cunclusion
It is worth mentioning that in all these packages and in Barcelona Model, learning
process is based on adult learning model in which people talk about their
experiences and learn from other, so they can receive peer support from the group
members.
The ultimate goal of psychoeducational group to change maladaptive behaviour,
because providing information, by itself, cannot lead to any behavioural change
(Colom & Vieta, 2006).