The efficacy of psychoeducation on recurrent depression: a randomized trial with a 2-year follow-up
Sammanfattning
Background: The efficacy of psychoeducation is well documented in the treatment of relapse prevention
of schizophrenia, and recently also in bipolar disorder; however, for recurrent depression only few
controlled studies focusing on the efficacy of psychoeducation have been conducted.
Aims: This randomized study tests the efficacy of treatment-as-usual supplemented with a psychoeducative
programme for patients with recurrent depression, treated at Community Mental Health Centres
(CMHC) in Denmark. The primary outcome measurements concern was decline in consumption of psychiatric
inpatient services and decline in Beck’s Depression Inventory (BDI).
Methods: Eighty patients were randomized, either to the psychoeducative programme (consisting of
eight sessions, each of 2 hours duration) and 2-year outpatient follow-up (42 cases), or only to 2-year
outpatient follow-up (38 controls). The patients were monitored during 2 years after randomization.
Data were collected from interviews including BDI, drug treatment and social measurements, and register
data concerning use of psychiatric services.
Results: At 2-year follow-up, a significant reduction in the consumption of psychiatric inpatient services
and in BDI was found; however, it was uniform for case and control patients. Drop-out/non-compliance
was significantly more frequent among patients randomized to the control group. Furthermore, during
follow-up the case group got a significant stronger attachment to the Labour market than the control
group.
Conclusions: The primary hypothesis could not be confirmed. Secondary outcome measurements
concerning drop-out/non-compliance and attachment to the Labour market were significantly in favour
of cases.