Therapeutic factors of intensive outpatient program for bipolar disorder in perspective of therapists

Objective To explore the therapeutic factors of intensive outpatient program for bipolar disorder(IOP-BD) in perspective of therapists. Method There were 3 groups of treatment which applied IOP-BD intervention for bipolar disorder patients recently got remission at Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiaotong University, School of Medicine from June 2016 to April 2017. Data collected from semi-structured interviews of 10 therapists by recording after treatment, and applied thematic analysis analyzing data. By transcribing the radio into written form to do the coding process, then feedback the results to therapists to ensure the credibility. Results In perspective of therapists, personal factors and treatment process would impact the outcome of treatment. Therapists thought those actively involved in the therapy, could give back something, and accepted the disease truly, as well short duration of disease, accompanied by caregivers with good adaption would benefit more. Besides, the rhythm of therapy and the guiding role of therapists also impacted outcome, which both of them were connected with therapists' background. Conclusion Therapists should have enough experience to balance the rhythm of therapy, and encourage those patients who are low-involvement, long duration of disease and non-accept the disease, to ameliorate the efficacy of IOP-BD. Key words: Bipolar disorder; Intensive outpatient program; Qualitative study; Therapists; Therapeutic factors