Objective: This paper reviews published randomized-controlled
treatment trials of psychological therapies added to standard psychiatric
treatment versus medication and standard psychiatric treatment alone to
explore whether adjunctive psychotherapy reduces relapse rates in
individuals with bipolar disorders (BDs).
Method: Relapse rates were calculated for individual trials that met
inclusion criteria and then pooled odds ratios were calculated using
meta-analytic techniques.
Results: The majority of studies quoted demonstrate that individuals
receiving psychological treatments had significantly fewer relapses. The
length of therapy required was between 10 and 20 h over 6–9 months and
the models of effective therapies had many shared characteristics in terms
of style and content.
Conclusions: Adjunctive psychological treatments for individuals with
BDs are acceptable and feasible and reduce relapse risk. There are
relatively few differences in the benefits that accrue from the different
therapy models. It is now important to explore whether they have added
value in terms of additional health gains and social functioning
compared with standard treatment approaches.