title: Development of an integrated psychosocial treatment to address the medical burden associated with bipolar disorder.
abstract: We developed an integrated psychosocial treatment for bipolar disorder to decrease the disproportionate medical burden associated with this illness. Three treatment modules, Nutrition/weight loss, Exercise, and Wellness Treatment (NEW Tx) were administered in twelve 60-minute group sessions over 14 weeks. After the first group (N=4) had completed the treatment, it was revised, and then a second group (N=6) completed the revised treatment. Participants completed all of the study assessments and attended 82% of the sessions. Both groups added over 100 minutes of weekly exercise to their baseline duration. Participants in the second group showed improvements in their quality of life, depressive symptoms, and weight. It appears that NEW Tx may be a feasible intervention with promising pilot data for reducing the medical burden in bipolar disorder, but future research is needed to further evaluate the efficacy of NEW Tx.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA. lsylvia2@partners.org
authors.forename: Louisa G
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Sylvia
authors.forename: Andrew A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Nierenberg
authors.forename: Jonathan P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Stange
authors.forename: Andrew D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Peckham
authors.forename: Thilo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Deckersbach
mesh_terms: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects*; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D017281:Cost of Illness; D003863:Depression / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D005081:Exercise Therapy / Q000523:psychology*; D006126:Group Processes; D006293:Health Promotion; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D008659:Metabolic Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000517:prevention & control*; D044623:Nutrition Therapy / Q000523:psychology*; D010809:Physical Fitness / Q000523:psychology; D011788:Quality of Life; D012307:Risk Factors; D012917:Social Adjustment; D015431:Weight Loss
chemical_list: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents