抄録
Cognitive impairment in patients with mood disorders often persists into remission and hinders functioning, which highlights the need for psychosocial strategies beyond medication and standard psychotherapy during acute inpatient care. This study aimed to examine whether structured, workbook-based psychoeducation in addition to standard treatment during the acute phase enhances executive function and attention. This open-label, nonrandomized study included inpatients ＜65 years who were diagnosed with either a major depressive episode or bipolar disorder based on the ICD-10 criteria at Showa University Northern Yokohama Hospital between February 2023 and December 2024. Eligible participants had Hamilton Depression Rating Scale scores ≥8 and Japanese Adult Reading Test scores ≥80. Participants were randomly assigned to either the intervention group （IG）, who received six weekly 60-minute group sessions in addition to standard care, or the control group （CG）, who received standard care alone. Assessments, including clinical scales and neurocognitive tests, were conducted at baseline and before discharge. Between-group comparisons were performed using Student’s
t-tests and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests. A p-value ＜0.10 indicated statistical significance. A total of 27 patients （IG＝16; CG＝11） were included in this study. Both groups showed improvements in depressive symptoms and verbal memory. However, the IG achieved greater gains in executive function and attention, including a significantly shorter Trail Making Test B completion time before discharge. Exploratory analyses revealed lower baseline phonemic verbal fluency in patients with bipolar disorder than in those with major depressive episode, with similar accuracy on the Continuous Performance Test but faster reaction times in patients with bipolar disorder. Conclusions: Adjunctive, workbook-based group psychoeducation in addition to standard care during acute inpatient treatment for mood disorders may enhance executive function, attention, and working memory. Although preliminary, these findings support the incorporation of brief, skills-focused psychoeducation into treatment strategies and warrant further validation in larger, randomized, long-term studies.
