title: Long-term efficacy of a psychological intervention program for patients with refractory bipolar disorder: a pilot study.
abstract: The aim of this research was to test the long-term efficacy of combined standard treatment (pharmacotherapy and adjunctive psychosocial treatment based on a cognitive-behavioral model) compared with standard drug treatment for patients with recurrent bipolar disorder. Twenty patients selected according to DSM-IV-TR criteria were randomized to 1) combined treatment or 2) control treatment. A multigroup experimental design with repeated assessment measures (pre-treatment, post-treatment, 6-month follow-up, and 12-month follow-up) was used. Results of the repeated measurement analysis showed a significant increment in scores of Global Activity Functioning within the combined treatment group during the follow-up, which was not observed in the control treatment group. Therefore, the effectiveness of psychotherapy tends to increase with time, and this improvement is not significant until 12 months of follow-up.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Santiago Apóstol Hospital, Vitoria, Spain. anagonis@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: González-Isasi
authors.forename: Enrique
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Echeburúa
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mosquera
authors.forename: Berta
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ibáñez
authors.forename: Felipe
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Aizpuru
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: González-Pinto
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000628:therapy*; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome