From the Guidelines
Social rhythm therapy is a crucial component of Interpersonal and Social Rhythm Therapy (IPSRT), which combines elements of interpersonal therapy with social rhythm therapy to help individuals with mood disorders, such as bipolar disorder, establish and maintain regular daily routines and stabilize their biological rhythms. This approach is based on the social zeitgeber theory of mood disorders, which suggests that disruptions in sleep and social routines can contribute to the onset and exacerbation of mood episodes 1. The therapy involves tracking and regulating daily activities, such as sleep, meals, exercise, and social interactions, to create consistent patterns.
Key aspects of social rhythm therapy include:
- Keeping a Social Rhythm Metric chart to monitor activities
- Identifying disruptions to routines
- Gradually implementing more regular schedules
- Anticipating potential rhythm disruptions, such as travel or holidays, and developing strategies to minimize their impact
- Combining therapy with medication for bipolar disorder to address biological vulnerability to rhythm disruptions
The effectiveness of social rhythm therapy is supported by studies, such as the pilot open trial of IPSRT-A conducted by Hlastala et al. (2010), which showed improvements in general psychiatric symptom severity, depression, mania, and global functioning following treatment 1. By stabilizing daily routines and biological rhythms, social rhythm therapy can help individuals with mood disorders regulate their mood and improve their overall quality of life.
From the Research
Definition of Social Rhythm Therapy
- Social Rhythm Therapy is a psychosocial intervention that has been modified from Interpersonal and Social Rhythm Therapy (IPSRT) 2.
- It is designed to help individuals with bipolar disorder manage their daily routines and improve their overall functioning 2, 3.
- The therapy aims to regularize daily patterns of activity to facilitate recovery of circadian biological processes and improve mood 4.
Key Components of Social Rhythm Therapy
- Social Rhythm Therapy is based on the principles of user-centred design and is intended to be flexible and easily learned 2.
- It involves helping patients establish regular daily routines, diminish interpersonal problems, and adhere to medication regimens 3.
- The therapy also aims to modulate both biological and psychosocial factors to mitigate patients' circadian and sleep-wake cycle vulnerabilities 3.
Relationship to Interpersonal and Social Rhythm Therapy (IPSRT)
- Social Rhythm Therapy is an adaptation of IPSRT, which has demonstrated efficacy in research settings 2, 5, 6.
- IPSRT was designed to directly address the major pathways to recurrence in bipolar disorder, including medication nonadherence, stressful life events, and disruptions in social rhythms 5, 6.
- Social Rhythm Therapy has been developed to facilitate implementation of some of the key components of IPSRT in routine clinical practice 2.