Dissemination of a Brief Psychoeducational Intervention for Bipolar Disorder in Community Mental Health Settings

Various efficacious psychosocial interventions for Bipolar Disorder (BD) share common elements, with psychoeducation being a main component. Recent treatment guidelines for BD recommend psychoeducation, especially when delivered in brief, cost-effective formats. Its format has several implications for the feasibility of its dissemination in the health care system. The Life Goals Program (LGP) is an evidence-based, cost-effective psychoeducational treatment for BD. Despite its demonstrated benefits for patients and the healthcare system, most patients do not have access to this type of treatment. The goal of this study is to examine the dissemination of the LGP and its effectiveness in three community mental health care centers in Quebec, Canada. A sample of 15 healthcare service providers received thorough training in the delivery of the LGP and delivered the treatment to 73 patients with BD. The treatment consisted of six 90-minute sessions described in the treatment manual with session six being repeated with a family member attending. Treatment integrity and clinical effectiveness were assessed with objective measures. The intervention was successfully implemented, with high rates of treatment fidelity and positive impacts on clinical outcomes. Patients demonstrated marked gains in knowledge about BD, increased acceptance of the illness, reductions in depressive symptoms and improvements in medication behaviors. Treatment effect sizes were moderate to large. Results show that the LGP can be successfully implemented in routine mental health settings given the brief format of the intervention, its proven cost effectiveness, and its less extensive training requirements.