Psychoeducation is the education of individuals regarding psychological or physical conditions that cause stress. It aims to improve understanding and management of the condition. Psychoeducation can be delivered in individual, family, group or social settings. It covers topics like the diagnosis, treatment, stigma reduction, lifestyle management and building self-efficacy. Research shows psychoeducation reduces relapse rates and hospitalizations for conditions like bipolar disorder when added to standard treatment. It is an effective support intervention for conditions affecting mental health and quality of life.

1. PSYCHOEDUCATION
Presented by:
L/O/G/O
Deepti Bhatta
Bsc. Nursing
4th year

2. CONTENTS:
Introduction
Historical background
Definition
Elements of psychoeducation
Goals of psychoeducation
Benefits
Principles

3. Contd…
Outcomes
Types of psychoeducation
Approaches for psychoducation
Contraindications
Research conducted

4. INTRODUCTION
• Psychoeducation
is
an
important
component of any psychotherapy
program.
• Psychoeducation,
as
the
name
suggests, is education about a certain
situation or condition that causes
psychological stress

5. CONTD…
• This is not necessarily psychotherapy as it
does
not
exclusively
deal
with
psychological or mental illness’ but rather
any condition you or a relative or a friend
is experiencing.
• For example breast cancer is not a mental
illness however a person with breast
cancer may feel anxious, disheartened
and scared about their condition and
therefore it is said that the cancer is
bringing about psychological stressors.

6. CONTD….
• Frequently psychoeducational training
involves
individuals
with
schizophrenia,
clinical
depression,anxiety disorders, psychotic
illnesses, eating disorders, and personality
disorders, as well as patient training
courses in the context of the treatment of
physical illnesses.

7. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
• The concept of psychoeducation was first
noted in the medical literature, in an article
by John E. Donley "Psychotherapy and reeducation" in The Journal of Abnormal
Psychology, published in 1911
• The popularization and development of the
term psychoeducation into its current form
is widely attributed to the American
researcher C.M. Anderson in 1980 in the
context of the treatment of schizophrenia

8. DEFINITION
• Psycho-education has been defined as
“the education of a person with a
psychiatric disorder in subject areas that
serve the goals of treatment and
rehabilitation.” According to the American
Psychiatric Association (APA)
• Psychoeducation
cognitive, behavioral,
therapeutic elements
and
includes
supportive

9. CONTD…
• Psychoeducation is usually implemented
by a psychologist or anybody who is an
expert in the specific condition the
individual is experiencing and who has
experience in psychotherapies such as
nurses, social workers, occupational
therapists, psychologists and physicians

10. Elements of Psychoeducation:
•
•
•
•
briefing the patient about their illness
problem solving training
communication training
self-assertiveness training

11. Goals of Psycho-education
• Ensuring patients' and their relatives'
attainment of “basic competence
• Facilitating an informed and selfresponsible handling of the illness
• Deepening the patients' role as an “expert”
• “Co-therapists”—strengthening the role of
relatives
• Optimal combination of professional
therapeutic methods and empowerment

12. Contd…
• Improving insight into illness
improvement of compliance
• Promoting relapse prevention
• Engaging in crisis management
suicide prevention
• Supporting healthy components
• Economizing
informational
educational activities
and
and
and

13. BENEFITS
• Every person will feel more relaxed and in
control of their condition if they have a
greater level of understanding
• People who are educated about their
condition are more likely to actively
participate in their self-management
and relapse prevention
• Brings about positive social and self-esteem
changes
which
all
add
to
the
individual's self-efficacy

14. Contd…
• Can reduce social stigma, promote
awareness, prevent emergencies and
reduce relapse.
• Enable fewer hospital days
• Increase
medication
adherence, increased satisfaction with
mental health services, and improved
quality of life.

15. Effective Psychoeducation
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Education is interactive
Use multiple teaching aids
Connote consumer as the “expert”
Elicit relatives’ experience and
understanding
Avoid conflict and confrontation
Education is a long-term process
Evaluate understanding
Review materials as often as possible

16. OUTCOMES OF
PSYCHOEDUCATION
• Information transfer (symptomatology of
the disturbance, causes, treatment
concepts, etc.)
• Emotional discharge (understanding to
promote, exchange of experiences with
others concerning, contacts, etc.)
• Support
of medication or psychotherapeutic treatm
ent, as cooperation is promoted between
the mental health professional and patient

17. Contd…
• Assistance to self-help (e.g. training, as
crisis situations are promptly recognized
and what steps should be taken to be able
to help the patient)

18. TYPES OF
PSYCHOEDUCATION
L/O/G/O

19. GROUP PSYCHOEUCATION
• Group psychoeducation can be very
effective for a number of reasons
• People feel that they have the support of
the group as well as the feeling they are
“not alone” which decreases the amount of
stress in the situation
• majority of common questions will be dealt
with predominantly through discussion

20. Contd…
• In a group situation experiences are
shared with each others. This way
everyone gains a perspective of how other
people deal with their situations which
adds to the overall learning experience.
• Group psychoeducation can also be
implemented in schools as a preventative
measure

21. • Some of the issues discussed in
classroom or small group sessions are:
Teenage pregnancy
Social
competency
•
Eating disorders, body image and
healthy eating
•
Anger management and bullying

22. INDIVIDUAL
PSYCHOEDUCATION
• Individual psychoeducation can be more
specific and focused and can cover
information and content that is more
relevant for an individual situation.
• If group situations tend to make patient or
family feel anxious and threatened then
individual psychotherapy with the safety
and confidentiality of a one on one
interaction with a therapist or doctor may
be more suitable.

23. Family Psychoeducation
• Education about a condition is relevant not
only to the individual with the problem, but
also the people who share their life.
Therefore psychoeducation programs for
the whole family are commonly used; this
can reduce stress at home and encourage
better relationships between the family
members.
• Psychoeducation can be implemented for
a number of families at the same time.

24. Contd…
• Benefits:
1. Family information & education
2. Enhance family coping skills
3. Improve communication & problem solving
skills
4. Prevention of relapse
5. Concurrent use of psychopharmacology

25. Psychoeducation for friends
and care takers
• For
many
people
with
mental
illness, especially adults, there is no family
around to support them. Therefore
psychoeducation programs for friends and
caretakers have also been developed

26. Social psychoeducation
• The influence of social stigma as well as
social support and the importance
of recognising the social support you
have,
this
is
called
social
psychoeducation.
• When people feel they have the support of
the community they are more likely to
manage the distress associated with their
condition more effectively.

27. Contd…
• For adolescents and children, peer
pressure issues may also be dealt with.
For example it is very important that a
diabetic child understands why they
cannot have as much chocolate and lollies
as their friends and also how and when to
say no if their friends offer them food.

28. Approaches for psychoeducation
(individual with disorder)
• The structure of psychoeducation is
determined by whether the program
involves the individual with the disorder or
only involves the family or peers
• The common topics that will be focused on
are as follows:

29. Contd…
• The medical aspects of the condition by
identifying
and
defining
the
diagnosis, the prognosis, the biology and
psychology. How the condition may affect
the future in terms of physical limits, how
this will affect mind set and how to think
positively.
• The
stigma
attached
to
the
diagnosis, what can be done to combat
and manage the stigma. The stigma
associated with many physiological and
psychological conditions can impact

30. Contd…
• Healthy lifestyle behaviours that will help
to manage the condition.
• Stress management- why do need to
manage our stress levels and how does
high stress lead to the worsening of
symptoms?
• Understanding
self-esteem,
selfimage, self-efficacy

31. Contd…
• Treatment- For many disorders adherence
to medication is a very important factor in
managing the condition. The information
will
answer
questions
about
the
medication that includes: What it does?
How does it work? What are the benefits?
What are the side effects or adverse
effects? When and how often it must be
taken? Why it is important to it at certain
intervals? What happens when the
medication is not taken?

32. Contd…
• Another important aspect of treatment are
the types of psychotherapies that are
available and suitable to help the patient
deal with the psychological effects of the
condition and what is the cost, the
effectiveness and the cost effectiveness of
these psychotherapies?
• Financial assistance that is available to aid
the patient.

33. Example:
• Many people feel despair and guilty when
they are responsible for their condition for
example
substance
abuse or emphysema after years of
cigarette smoking, however having a
guilty, self-defeated attitude will not help
combat the problem. Psychoeducation
conveys the concept that what is in the
past stays there, now is time to learn
about your condition and what ways to
best manage it for your future.

34. Without the patient present
• When the individual with the condition (the
patient) is not present, that is when only the
family, peers or caregivers are attending the
program;
the
main
focus
of
the
psychoeducation is on how to manage while
looking after the individual, understanding their
situation and hardships, preventing any relapse
and how to provide them with support.
• The common topics that will be focused on are
as follows:

35. Contd….
• Understanding the nature of the illnessthis includes information on the disorder
as well as the psychological aspects
involved. What is it like for the patient in
terms of psychology and physiology?
What are the realistic expectations that of
the patient?
• The main symptoms of the disorder as
well as the identification of the disorder are
discussed.

36. Contd…
•
•
•
•
Indentifying trigger factors
Treatment
What to do in emergencies?
The financial, legal and social support that
is available for families, caretakers and
schools to aid in caring and catering for
the patient will also be discussed.

37. Contra-indication for psychoeducation
•
•
•
•
massive formal thought disorders
manic elevated mood
hearing imperative voices
acute suicidality with generally reduced
stress resilience

38. Research done:
• A randomized trial on the efficacy of
group psychoeducation in the
prophylaxis of recurrences in bipolar
patients whose disease is in remission.
• Source
• Bipolar Disorders Program…IDIBAPS
Barcelona, Spain

39. • Abstract
• Studies on individual psychotherapy
indicate that some interventions may
reduce the number of recurrences in
bipolar patients. However, there has been
a
lack
of
structured,
welldesigned, blinded, controlled studies
demonstrating the efficacy of group
psychoeducation to prevent recurrences in
patients with bipolar I and II disorder.

40. • METHODS:
• One hundred twenty bipolar I and II
outpatients in remission (Young Mania
Rating Scale score <6, Hamilton
Depression Rating Scale-17 score <8) for
at least 6 months prior to inclusion in the
study, who were receiving standard
pharmacologic treatment, were included in
a controlled trial.

41. Contd…
• Subjects were matched for age and sex
and randomized to receive, in addition to
standard psychiatric care, 21 sessions of
group psychoeducation or 21 sessions of
nonstructured group meetings. Subjects
were assessed monthly during the 21week treatment period and throughout the
2-year follow-up.

42. • RESULTS:
• Group
psychoeducation
significantly
reduced the number of relapsed patients
and the number of recurrences per
patient, and increased the time to
depressive, manic, hypomanic, and mixed
recurrences. The number and length of
hospitalizations per patient were also
lower
in
patients
who
received
psychoeducation.

43. • CONCLUSION:
• Group psychoeducation is an efficacious
intervention to prevent recurrence in
pharmacologically treated patients with
bipolar I and II disorder.

44. References:
• Stuart GW, Laraia MT. Principles & practice
of psychiatric nursing. 8th ed. Mosby Elsevier
publication; 2008. p., 684-7
• Brand
EF,
Lakey
B,
Berman
S.
A
preventative, psychoeducational approach to
increase perceived social support. American
journal of community psychology. 1995; 23(1): 117135.
• URL:http://www.webmd.com/balance/psycheducati
on-6301 Retrieved on 23rd september 2013