Psychoeducation for PTSD
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Educational therapies

What are educational therapies?

Educational therapies for psychiatric illnesses (psychoeducation) are targeted towards increasing a person’s knowledge about their disorder. Educational therapies aim to improve insight and understanding, promote coping and reduce stigma, increase medication adherence, enable behavioural change, and ultimately prevent relapse. Educational sessions can take place individually or in groups, with other patients or with family, and are usually incorporated into an ongoing treatment regimen in both hospital and community settings.

What is the evidence for educational therapies?

Moderate to low quality evidence suggests a medium-sized effect of fewer relapses to mania or depression with group psychoeducation, but not with individual psychoeducation, when compared to treatment as usual. It may also increase treatment adherence.

Psychoeducation plus cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) may improve mania symptoms and functioning. Psychoeducation plus Personalized Real-time Intervention for Stabilizing Mood (PRISM) may improve depressive symptoms.

Moderate to high quality evidence suggests reduced internalised stigma with psychoeducation.

November 2021

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Last updated at: 11:02 am, 8th November 2021
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