Psycho-education is a type of specialised education for people with a particular illness. This helps people learn about a condition, such as bipolar II disorder (BPII).

However, group psycho-education also refers to formal programs led by a clinician or other health professional that aim to help people become ‘experts’ at managing their BPII. The programs focus on:

• overall awareness of BPII, including triggers and early warning signs
• the importance of taking medication as prescribed (adhering to medication)
• staying well and keeping moods stable.

There are a variety of group psycho-education programs available, both face-to-face and online. Because the focus is on learning, it is not really considered ‘therapy’. However, it is not clear if many available group psycho-education programs help to prevent relapse in BPII. More research is also needed to evaluate shorter face-to-face and online programs.

Research has mostly been done on face-to-face programs. Some studies looked at about 21 weekly sessions of 90 minutes over six months. These programs used step-by-step guides (manuals) and showed psycho-education was effective.