Delivering effective combined treatments in mental health settings with difficult‐to‐treat patients: A bipolar case study illustrating the role of teamwork and other mediators

Abstract

AbstractEven in well‐delivered treatments, a significant proportion of patients with severe diagnoses will not achieve sustained remission. For example, research demonstrates that in Bipolar II disorder, while psychological interventions combined with pharmacotherapy yield much better results than pharmacotherapy alone, relapse rates remain very high. In this article, we show the successful treatment of Mrs. C., who was diagnosed with Bipolar II disorder and fell into the non‐responders. The treatment integrated a novel approach grounded on a cognitive‐behavioral theory with a systemic perspective. The psychotherapist, the psychiatrist, and a family therapist composed the teamwork and delivered the treatment in three phases. In the first phase, the psychotherapist conjointly with the psychiatrist aimed at reducing symptoms. In the second phase, the psychotherapist and the family therapist addressed the dysfunctional relationship patterns that negatively reinforced emotional dysregulation. Finally, in the third phase, the aim was to consolidate the achievements, changes, and good outcomes.