Psychoeducation: A promising intervention strategy for families of children and adolescents with mood disorders

Mood disorders and suicide in youth represent major health concerns requiring effective intervention strategies. This paper briefly summarizes the literature on childhood mood disorders and discusses expressed emotion (EE) and the link between lowering EE and improved outcome for mood disordered individuals. Family psychoeducation is discussed as a means of reducing EE and similarities and differences between psychoeducation and other therapeutic interventions explored. The authors' adaptations that made psychoeducation developmentally appropriate for families of children and adolescents are reviewed. Psychoeducation for families of mood disordered youth is suggested as worthy of further clinical and empirical effort.