Long-term efficacy of a psychological intervention program for patients with refractory bipolar disorder: a pilot study.
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.
González-Isasi
Ana
A
Department of Psychiatry, Santiago Apóstol Hospital, Vitoria, Spain. anagonis@hotmail.com
Echeburúa
Enrique
E
Mosquera
Fernando
F
Ibáñez
Berta
B
Aizpuru
Felipe
F
González-Pinto
Ana
A
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