title: The efficacy of psychoeducation on recurrent depression: a randomized trial with a 2-year follow-up.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The efficacy of psychoeducation is well documented in the treatment of relapse prevention of schizophrenia, and recently also in bipolar disorder; however, for recurrent depression only few controlled studies focusing on the efficacy of psychoeducation have been conducted.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This randomized study tests the efficacy of treatment-as-usual supplemented with a psychoeducative programme for patients with recurrent depression, treated at Community Mental Health Centres (CMHC) in Denmark. The primary outcome measurements concern was decline in consumption of psychiatric inpatient services and decline in Beck's Depression Inventory (BDI).
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighty patients were randomized, either to the psychoeducative programme (consisting of eight sessions, each of 2 hours duration) and 2-year outpatient follow-up (42 cases), or only to 2-year outpatient follow-up (38 controls). The patients were monitored during 2 years after randomization. Data were collected from interviews including BDI, drug treatment and social measurements, and register data concerning use of psychiatric services.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At 2-year follow-up, a significant reduction in the consumption of psychiatric inpatient services and in BDI was found; however, it was uniform for case and control patients. Drop-out/non-compliance was significantly more frequent among patients randomized to the control group. Furthermore, during follow-up the case group got a significant stronger attachment to the Labour market than the control group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The primary hypothesis could not be confirmed. Secondary outcome measurements concerning drop-out/non-compliance and attachment to the Labour market were significantly in favour of cases.
authors.affiliation: a Unit for Psychiatric Research and Department M, Aarhus University Hospital , Risskov , Denmark.|b Aalborg University Hospital, Psychiatric Hospital , Unit for Psychiatric Research and Clinic South , Aalborg , Denmark.
authors.forename: Jørgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Aagaard
authors.affiliation: c Department of Animal Science , Aarhus University , Aarhus , Denmark.|d Bioinformatics Research Centre, Aarhus University , Aarhus , Denmark.
authors.forename: Leslie
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Foldager
authors.affiliation: b Aalborg University Hospital, Psychiatric Hospital , Unit for Psychiatric Research and Clinic South , Aalborg , Denmark.
authors.forename: Ahmad
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Makki
authors.affiliation: a Unit for Psychiatric Research and Department M, Aarhus University Hospital , Risskov , Denmark.
authors.forename: Vibeke
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Hansen
authors.affiliation: e Department for Child and Youth Psychiatry , Kolding Hospital , Kolding , Denmark.
authors.forename: Klaus
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Müller-Nielsen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003156:Community Mental Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003718:Denmark; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010349:Patient Compliance / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods*; D011613:Psychotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D012008:Recurrence
keywords: Randomized study; drop-out; non-compliance; psychoeducation; recurrent depression