Prophylactic Education

Prophylactic means "to guard against" or "prevent." We take prophylactic medication to prevent future episodes of mental illness. There is recent evidence that education about mental illness can also exert a strong prophylactic effect (but do keep taking the tablets). The article "Teaching Wellness" summarises four recent scientific studies on the effectiveness of education in improving the outcome for bipolar disorder.

Prophylactic education teaches the facts of life—the facts of living a life in the company of a serious mental illness. Some education is beginning to be offered by the professional mental health community, typically in a one-on-one context. This makes it expensive and not widely available, but do make use of it if you find it available to you. Examples include: Family Psychoeducation and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Evidence shows that a group setting can work just as well as the therapist/patient setting. Education in a group setting is offered by mental health non-profits, is much more widely available, and is typically free.

For those in the USA, NAMI offers the Peer-to-Peer Recovery Education Course for those with a serious mental illness and the Family-to-Family Education Program for their caregivers. I highly recommend these free education courses. Check out the promotional video and find out if they are offered by your local NAMI affiliate. (I am involved in providing the Peer-to-Peer course in my local NAMI.) Other similar consumer-taught recovery courses offered by non-profits in the USA include Bridges and the WRAP program from Mary Ellen Copeland.

Support groups are also an excellent resource. It is very comforting to discover that we are not alone and that others suffer similar difficulties. We can learn from those who have successfully managed similar problems to those we are facing. Both NAMI and the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance offer local support groups across the USA.

And don't overlook the value of a good book. There are some excellent guidebooks for patients and their caregivers available now on specific mental illnesses. I found many of them to be available in my local public library. Take a look at my book reviews.

New Article: Teaching Wellness

Research has recently demonstrated that teaching illness self-management in addition to medication can significantly improve the quality of life for those with bipolar disorder. This article reviews the scientific evidence.

Reprinted with permission from bp Magazine, Fall 2006.