This review shows a beneficial effect of EWS in time to recurrence , percentage of people hospitalised and functioning in people with bipolar disorder .
BACKGROUND Recurrence rates for bipolar disorder are high despite effective treatments with mood stabiliser drugs .
Self-help treatments and psychological treatments that teach patients to recognise and manage early warning symptoms and signs ( EWS ) of impending manic or depressive episodes are popular with patients .
The main aim of such interventions is to intervene early and prevent bipolar episodes , thereby increasing the time to the next recurrence and preventing hospitalisation .
OBJECTIVES To compare the effectiveness of an EWS intervention plus treatment as usual ( TAU ) versus TAU ( involving and not involving a psychological therapy ) on time to manic , depressive and all bipolar episodes ( the primary outcome ) , hospitalisation , functioning , depressive and manic symptoms .
A pilot study of cognitive therapy in bipolar disorders.
BACKGROUND The efficacy and effectiveness of cognitive therapy ( CT ) is well established for unipolar disorders , but little is known about its utility in bipolar disorders . This study aim ed to explore the feasibility and efficacy of using CT as an adjunct to usual psychiatric treatment in this patient population . METHOD Subjects referred by general adult psychiatrists were assessed by and independent rater and then r and omly allocated to immediate CT ( N = 21 ) or 6-month waiting-list control , which was then followed by CT ( N = 21 ) . Observer and self-ratings of symptoms and functioning were undertaken immediately prior to CT , after a 6-month course of CT and a further 6-months later . Data on relapse and hospitalization rates in the 18 months before and after commencing CT were also collected . RESULTS At 6-month follow-up , subjects allocated to CT showed statistically significantly greater improvements in symptoms and functioning as measured on the Beck Depression Inventory , the Internal State Scale , and the Global Assessment of Functioning than those in the waiting-list control group . In the 29 patients who eventually received CT  , relapse rates in the 1 8 months after commencing CT showed a 60 % reduction in comparison with the 18 months prior to commencing CT . Seventy per cent of subjects who commenced therapy viewed CT as highly acceptable . CONCLUSION Although the results of this study are encouraging , the use of CT in subjects with bipolar disorders is more complex than in unipolar disorders and requires a high level of therapist expertise . The therapy may prove to be particularly useful in the treatment of bipolar depression
This review shows a beneficial effect of EWS in time to recurrence , percentage of people hospitalised and functioning in people with bipolar disorder .
BACKGROUND Recurrence rates for bipolar disorder are high despite effective treatments with mood stabiliser drugs .
Self-help treatments and psychological treatments that teach patients to recognise and manage early warning symptoms and signs ( EWS ) of impending manic or depressive episodes are popular with patients .
The main aim of such interventions is to intervene early and prevent bipolar episodes , thereby increasing the time to the next recurrence and preventing hospitalisation .
OBJECTIVES To compare the effectiveness of an EWS intervention plus treatment as usual ( TAU ) versus TAU ( involving and not involving a psychological therapy ) on time to manic , depressive and all bipolar episodes ( the primary outcome ) , hospitalisation , functioning , depressive and manic symptoms .