Effectiveness of Cognitive- Behavioral Therapy in improving Clinical Indicators of Patients with Bipolar I Disorder

Bipolar disorder is one of the most worrisome mental illnesses, with grave consequences. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy in patients with bipolar disorder type I. This was a pre-test-post-test, quasi-experimental study with a control group and a 3-month follow-up. The statistical population of the study consisted of patients who were referred to the Delaram Rehabilitation Center for Chronic Mental Patients in Gorgan (the capital city of Golestan Province, Iran) in 2019. The sample included 16 patients with bipolar disorder who were referred to the center. They were chosen using the purpose sampling method and then divided into two groups of eight subjects each. In addition to medication, the experimental group received cognitive behavioral therapy for ten 70-minute sessions. The control group received only medical treatment and did not receive any psychological treatment during the study. The two groups were followed for three months. The bipolar depression scale was administered in groups at the beginning and end of treatment sessions. Data were analyzed using repeated measures mixed analysis of variance and Spss-23 software. addition of cognitive-behavioral therapy to drug therapy has shown further improvement in clinical indicators. . Furthermore, according to the follow-up period, the effects of cognitive behavioral therapy were more stable in all clinical indicators. Based on the findings of this study, it is possible to conclude that cognitive-behavioral therapy, in conjunction with drug therapy, can be an effective factor in reducing and stabilizing clinical symptoms of bipolar disorder type 1.