Objective: This study aimed to determine the short-term effects
of the Healthy Living Guide psychoeducation program on insight
development and treatment adherence among 54 male patients
diagnosed with psychotic disorders who were receiving treatment in a
High-Security Forensic Psychiatry (HSFP) center.
Method: All participants took part in a psychoeducation program
during their hospitalization. Assessments were conducted both before
and after the program using the Scale for the Assessment of Negative
Symptoms (SANS), the Scale for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms
(SAPS), the Schedule for the Assessment of Insight (SAI), the Global
Assessment Scale (GAS), and the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS),
together with a Sociodemographic Data Form and the Violence Profile
for Current Offense scale.
Results: Following the psychoeducation program, reductions were
observed in both positive and negative symptoms, along with
improvements in functionality, insight, and treatment adherence. The
program was particularly more effective in patients with lower baseline
insight. However, for patients who had been admitted during an acute
psychotic episode, the impact of the intervention remained limited even
after clinical remission. Additionally, after the program, insight was
negatively correlated with both positive and negative symptom severity.
Conclusions: The findings suggest that the Healthy Living Guide
psychoeducation program, when implemented in forensic psychiatric
populations, may serve as a complementary approach to treatment by
contributing to symptom reduction, enhanced functionality, improved
insight, and better treatment adherence in patients with psychotic
disorders.
Keywords: Forensic psychiatry, healthy living, insight, psychoeducation,
psychosis, treatment adherence guide