Illness self-management for individuals in acute psychiatric care settings in Japan: cross-cultural adaptation of an American program.

OBJECTIVE: To examine whether the challenges of a cross-national adaptation of an American, evidence-based, illness self-management module for people with serious mental illnesses could be met. The UCLA Medication Management Module was adapted for use in Japan with individuals experiencing short-stay, acute care in an inpatient setting. METHOD: Two evaluations were conducted with 37 and 63 persons diagnosed as having schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, respectively, to test the feasibility and impact of the module as an intervention for illness self- management in an academic, Japanese psychiatric unit. RESULTS: The short-term feasibility was demonstrated by consumers' enhanced comprehension of the value and benefits of antipsychotic medication as well as their gaining positive, therapeutic attitudes toward use of medication. A second evaluation of the module revealed that consumers who participated in the skills training developed better understanding of the purposes of medication, more positive attitudes toward medication, and superior coping skills in dealing with medication side effects than their counterparts who received standard treatment. The greater benefits achieved from participating in the module persisted for 7 months postdischarge. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: While preliminary, these studies suggest the applicability of the Medication Management Module for illness management for Japanese hospital practice.