Psychoeducation as an approach to treatment of severe mental illness

Psychoeducation is a well-established approach to patient care for individuals coping with severe mental illness. Psychoeducation is an umbrella term for a group of intervention models designed to provide information, guidance, and support to individuals with severe mental illness and their families. Originally developed to help families and patients with schizophrenia and other serious mental illness, psychoeducation has subsequently been adapted to other mental and chronic illness. Psychoeducation curricula have been tailored to distinct cultures, norms, and health payer systems. Because most psychoeducation models allow a certain amount of flexibility in curriculum, psychoeducation can readily translate into community settings. Given the increasing importance of patient education as part of the hospital discharge process and demonstrated cost savings associated with multifamily psychoeducation groups, it is likely that psychoeducation will grow in importance for application not only to psychiatric illness but also to other medical conditions.