[di meliora]

Dr. James Phelps, author of the article, is Director of the Mood Disorders Program at Samaritan Mental Health in Corvallis, Oregon. He begins by stating:

Teaching patients is a central role for physicians, and it is especially important in chronic illnesses, such as bipolar disorder. For an illness in which misunderstanding of the condition is the norm and in which patients often do not follow treatment recommendations, it is clear that psychoeducation leads to substantially better outcomes.¹ http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/bipo.../10168/2015325

Phelps summarizes:

Patients with bipolar disorder need a great deal of information about the illness. Without this education, adherence to your recommendations is uncertain; with it, outcomes will likely be better (and your job easier).

Emphasize the benefits of understanding the illness (eg, use the experience of others to avoid having to learn the hard way). Outline the body of knowledge needed and reinforce taking responsibility for learning it (teaching to fish for oneself, not wait for fish from parents or therapists). Anticipate lapses in medication adherence and strive to reach agreement, in advance, on how that will be handled.

Identify what educational strategies are most likely to be effective for each patient. Ask patients what they have done so far and how they learn best (hands on, visual, verbal). Make sure that your recommendations are realistic for each patient (eg, cost, time, Internet access).

Supplement your in-office teaching. Prepare a handout with recommended books and Web sites; link them to your Web site, if you have one. Keep a copy of the books you recommend in your office, and use them (eg, show the table of contents, make them palpable). Consider buying books to lend or give away, if possible. Request that patients view or read specific materials and then follow up: ask them if they had any difficulty in accessing or using those materials, and what they learned. If practical, offer a bipolar education group.5 Teach patients to learn on their own.

Perhaps this article will be a refresher for some and new for others. What is clear is the client must be a self-starter in learning as much as he can from all sources available to achieve a better result in treatment and life.

Dr. Phelps' website, PsychEducation.org, is here: http://www.psycheducation.org/index.html