Medication adherence did not contribute to the antidepressive
effect of IPSRT-G.Adherence did not change significantly
frombaseline, immediately after IPSRT-G, or 12 weeks
after IPSRT-G. This study supports the conclusions of Colom
et al. (2003) that therapeutic factors, other than medication
adherence, may impact effectiveness of psychological interventions
for bipolar disorder.
The participant’s characteristics of this sample may reflect
individuals who respond positively to IPSRT-G. The participants
who withdrew (n = 2) cited reasons other than group as
the reason for their withdrawal and had a diagnosis of bipolar
I disorder; it may be that these participants had more symptoms
of mixed bipolar depression as evidenced by higher
YMRS scores, and were less likely to engage in psychotherapy.
Gender may influence the effectiveness of IPSRT-G. Frank
et al. (2008) found that occupational functioning improved
earlier in women receiving IPSRT, suggesting gender differences
in response. Six women and one man completed the
IPSRT-G program; however, the man did not complete the
12-week phone call. The symptom and functioning improvement
in this studymay be specific to women.A larger sample,
including both men and women, and longer follow-up would
be necessary to determine whether differences in response are
due to gender or diagnosis and whether IPSRT-G needs to be
adapted for these differences.