Psychological interventions for bipolar disorder in low- and middle-income countries: systematic review

BackgroundAdjunctive psychological interventions for bipolar disorder have demonstrated better efficacy in preventing or delaying relapse and improving outcomes compared with pharmacotherapy alone.AimsTo evaluate the efficacy of psychological interventions for bipolar disorder in low- and middle-inc...

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Main Authors: Mekdes Demissie, Charlotte Hanlon, Rahel Birhane, Lauren Ng, Girmay Medhin, Abebaw Fekadu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Cambridge University Press 2018-09-01
Series:BJPsych Open
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2056472418000467/type/journal_article
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author Mekdes Demissie
Charlotte Hanlon
Rahel Birhane
Lauren Ng
Girmay Medhin
Abebaw Fekadu
author_facet Mekdes Demissie
Charlotte Hanlon
Rahel Birhane
Lauren Ng
Girmay Medhin
Abebaw Fekadu
author_sort Mekdes Demissie
collection DOAJ
description BackgroundAdjunctive psychological interventions for bipolar disorder have demonstrated better efficacy in preventing or delaying relapse and improving outcomes compared with pharmacotherapy alone.AimsTo evaluate the efficacy of psychological interventions for bipolar disorder in low- and middle-income countries.MethodA systematic review was conducted using PubMed, PsycINFO, Medline, EMBASE, Cochrane database for systematic review, Cochrane central register of controlled trials, Latin America and Caribbean Center on Health Science Literature and African Journals Online databases with no restriction of language or year of publication. Methodological heterogeneity of studies precluded meta-analysis.ResultsA total of 18 adjunctive studies were identified: psychoeducation (n = 14), family intervention (n = 1), group cognitive–behavioural therapy (CBT) (n = 2) and group mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) (n = 1). In total, 16 of the 18 studies were from upper-middle-income countries and none from low-income countries. All used mental health specialists or experienced therapists to deliver the intervention. Most of the studies have moderately high risk of bias. Psychoeducation improved treatment adherence, knowledge of and attitudes towards bipolar disorder and quality of life, and led to decreased relapse rates and hospital admissions. Family psychoeducation prevented relapse, decreased hospital admissions and improved medication adherence. CBT reduced both depressive and manic symptoms. MBCT reduced emotional dysregulation.ConclusionsAdjunctive psychological interventions alongside pharmacotherapy appear to improve the clinical outcome and quality of life of people with bipolar disorder in middle-income countries. Further studies are required to investigate contextual adaptation and the role of non-specialists in the provision of psychological interventions to ensure scalability and the efficacy of these interventions in low-income country settings.Declaration of interestNone.
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spelling doaj.art-b4b65dc743fc4166a1b59d8b921c85642023-03-09T12:28:47ZengCambridge University PressBJPsych Open2056-47242018-09-01437538410.1192/bjo.2018.46Psychological interventions for bipolar disorder in low- and middle-income countries: systematic reviewMekdes Demissie0Charlotte Hanlon1Rahel Birhane2Lauren Ng3Girmay Medhin4Abebaw Fekadu5Lecturer, College of Health Sciences, Department of Psychiatry, Addis Ababa University, EthiopiaAssociate Professor, College of Health Sciences, Department of Psychiatry, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia and Centre for Global Mental Health, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, Health Services and Population Research, King's College London, UKResearch Assistant, College of Health Sciences, Department of Psychiatry, Addis Ababa University, EthiopiaAssistant Professor, School of Medicine, Boston University, USAAssociate Professor, Aklilu Lemma Institute of Pathobiology, Addis Ababa University, EthiopiaAssociate Professor, College of Health Sciences, Department of Psychiatry and Centre for Innovative Drug Development and Therapeutic Studies for Africa (CDT-Africa), Collage of Health Science, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia and Department of Global Health and Infection, Brighton and Sussex Medical School, University of Sussex and Center for Affective Disorders, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, Department of Psychological Medicine, King's College London, UKBackgroundAdjunctive psychological interventions for bipolar disorder have demonstrated better efficacy in preventing or delaying relapse and improving outcomes compared with pharmacotherapy alone.AimsTo evaluate the efficacy of psychological interventions for bipolar disorder in low- and middle-income countries.MethodA systematic review was conducted using PubMed, PsycINFO, Medline, EMBASE, Cochrane database for systematic review, Cochrane central register of controlled trials, Latin America and Caribbean Center on Health Science Literature and African Journals Online databases with no restriction of language or year of publication. Methodological heterogeneity of studies precluded meta-analysis.ResultsA total of 18 adjunctive studies were identified: psychoeducation (n = 14), family intervention (n = 1), group cognitive–behavioural therapy (CBT) (n = 2) and group mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) (n = 1). In total, 16 of the 18 studies were from upper-middle-income countries and none from low-income countries. All used mental health specialists or experienced therapists to deliver the intervention. Most of the studies have moderately high risk of bias. Psychoeducation improved treatment adherence, knowledge of and attitudes towards bipolar disorder and quality of life, and led to decreased relapse rates and hospital admissions. Family psychoeducation prevented relapse, decreased hospital admissions and improved medication adherence. CBT reduced both depressive and manic symptoms. MBCT reduced emotional dysregulation.ConclusionsAdjunctive psychological interventions alongside pharmacotherapy appear to improve the clinical outcome and quality of life of people with bipolar disorder in middle-income countries. Further studies are required to investigate contextual adaptation and the role of non-specialists in the provision of psychological interventions to ensure scalability and the efficacy of these interventions in low-income country settings.Declaration of interestNone.https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2056472418000467/type/journal_articlePsychosocial interventionsbipolar affective disorderslow- and middle-income countries
spellingShingle Mekdes Demissie
Charlotte Hanlon
Rahel Birhane
Lauren Ng
Girmay Medhin
Abebaw Fekadu
Psychological interventions for bipolar disorder in low- and middle-income countries: systematic review
BJPsych Open
Psychosocial interventions
bipolar affective disorders
low- and middle-income countries
title Psychological interventions for bipolar disorder in low- and middle-income countries: systematic review
title_full Psychological interventions for bipolar disorder in low- and middle-income countries: systematic review
title_fullStr Psychological interventions for bipolar disorder in low- and middle-income countries: systematic review
title_full_unstemmed Psychological interventions for bipolar disorder in low- and middle-income countries: systematic review
title_short Psychological interventions for bipolar disorder in low- and middle-income countries: systematic review
title_sort psychological interventions for bipolar disorder in low and middle income countries systematic review
topic Psychosocial interventions
bipolar affective disorders
low- and middle-income countries
url https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2056472418000467/type/journal_article
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