Psychosocial interventions for bipolar disorder

The limitations of pharmacotherapy and the emergence of data supporting a r ole for psychosocial factors in the course of bipolar disorder have led to increased interest in the use of psychosocial interventions to improve outc omes. Although this area of study has suffered from a lack of systematic da ta, preliminary evidence suggests that the combined use of psychosocial int erventions and medication is superior to pharmacologic treatment alone. Fur ther research is necessary to identify and the psychosocial risk factors as sociated with bipolar disorder to design effective interventions to diminis h their effects and improve outcome. The introduction of formal, manual-bas ed psychotherapeutic interventions that include specific educational compon ents has been particularly promising.