Psychosocial Interventions: A Key Component in an Evidence-Based Treatment Approach to Bipolar Disorder

Abstract

Bipolar disorder (BD) can be especially challenging to treat due to the dynamic nature of its presentation; there is a critical need for a multimodal approach to adequately address patients’ symptoms and quality of life concerns. However, most mental health professionals have not implemented a multimodal approach due to limited dissemination of evidence-based psychosocial interventions for BD and bias towards psychopharmacology-centered treatment. This is despite clear findings from numerous studies that medication alone fails to fully address most patients’ needs and that psychosocial interventions lead to fewer relapses and a higher quality of life. This paper aims to review the evidence in support of psychosocial interventions as a key component of the treatment of BD and to highlight obstacles to the implementation of psychosocial treatment approaches. Additionally, we aim to make a case for an increase in the utilization of psychosocial interventions to improve quality of life and functioning for individuals with BD and their families, and to mitigate societal costs.