Effect of a brief video-assisted education session on lithium-related knowledge and attitudes among patients with bipolar I disorder

Lithium is commonly used for both acute and long-term treatment of bipolar I disorder (BD-I). Poor adherence to lithium treatment due to a lack of knowledge and negative attitudes can lead to relapses, negatively impacting the quality of life for BD-I patients. Hence, this study evaluated the impact of a video-assisted psychoeducation session on patients’ lithium-related knowledge, attitude, medication adherence, and quality of life. Using a single-group, quasi-experimental design, we recruited adult BD-I patients in remission; all of them were on a stable lithium dose for at least six months. All participants received a single session of video-assisted teaching on information about lithium therapy, an information pamphlet in the local language (Tamil), and reinforced with open discussions. Lithium-related knowledge and attitudes were assessed using standard measures. In addition, we assessed medication adherence and quality of life. Comparisons were made between baseline scores and one-month post-intervention scores. Among the 41 patients enrolled (mean age = 38.7 ± 10.6 years), there was a slight male majority (51.2%). The mean age of illness onset was 26.5 ± 9.3 years, and the median lithium treatment duration was 72 months (interquartile range, 30–126). At one-month follow-up, there was significant improvement in lithium-related knowledge ( Z = -5.59, P < 0.001), attitude toward lithium ( t = 7.44, P < 0.001), medication adherence ( Z = -4.74, P < 0.001), and quality of life ( t = 7.44, P < 0.001) compared to the baseline. A single, video-assisted psychoeducation session improved lithium-related knowledge, attitudes, medication adherence, and quality of life in remitted BD-I patients at one-month post-intervention. The low-burden intervention is scalable and can be incorporated into routine care.