title: Psychosocial treatment and interventions for bipolar disorder: a systematic review.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Bipolar disorder (BD) is a chronic disorder with a high relapse rate, significant general disability and burden and with a psychosocial impairment that often persists despite pharmacotherapy. This indicates the need for effective and affordable adjunctive psychosocial interventions, tailored to the individual patient. Several psychotherapeutic techniques have tried to fill this gap, but which intervention is suitable for each patient remains unknown and it depends on the phase of the illness.
  
  
  METHODS
  The papers were located with searches in PubMed/MEDLINE through May 1st 2015 with a combination of key words. The review followed the recommendations of the Preferred Items for Reporting of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses statement.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The search returned 7,332 papers; after the deletion of duplicates, 6,124 remained and eventually 78 were included for the analysis. The literature supports the usefulness only of psychoeducation for the relapse prevention of mood episodes and only in a selected subgroup of patients at an early stage of the disease who have very good, if not complete remission, of the acute episode. Cognitive-behavioural therapy and interpersonal and social rhythms therapy could have some beneficial effect during the acute phase, but more data are needed. Mindfulness interventions could only decrease anxiety, while interventions to improve neurocognition seem to be rather ineffective. Family intervention seems to have benefits mainly for caregivers, but it is uncertain whether they have an effect on patient outcomes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The current review suggests that the literature supports the usefulness only of specific psychosocial interventions targeting specific aspects of BD in selected subgroups of patients.
authors.affiliation: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloníki, Greece.
authors.forename: Stella
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Miziou
authors.affiliation: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloníki, Greece.
authors.forename: Eirini
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tsitsipa
authors.affiliation: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloníki, Greece.
authors.forename: Stefania
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Moysidou
authors.affiliation: Division of Neurosciences, 3rd Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 6, Odysseos Street (1st Parodos, Ampelonon Str.), Pournari Pylaia, 55535 Thessaloníki, Greece.
authors.forename: Vangelis
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Karavelas
authors.affiliation: Division of Neurosciences, 3rd Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 6, Odysseos Street (1st Parodos, Ampelonon Str.), Pournari Pylaia, 55535 Thessaloníki, Greece.
authors.forename: Dimos
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dimelis
authors.affiliation: Thessaloníki, Greece.
authors.forename: Vagia
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Polyzoidou
authors.affiliation: Division of Neurosciences, 3rd Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 6, Odysseos Street (1st Parodos, Ampelonon Str.), Pournari Pylaia, 55535 Thessaloníki, Greece.
authors.forename: Konstantinos N
authors.initials: KN
authors.lastname: Fountoulakis