Cognitive Behavioural Therapy For Schizophrenia

EVALUATION

Research Support:

→ SUPPORTING EVIDENCE

• One strength of CBT for SZ is the evidence for its efffectiveness.

• Jauhar et al (2014) reviewed 34 studies of using CBT with SZ, concluding that there is clear evidence for small but significant effects on both positive and negative symptoms.

• Additionally, Pontillo et al (2016) found reductions in frequency and severity of auditory hallucinations. Clinical advice from NICE (2019) also recommends CBT for SZ.

• This means that both research and clinical experience support the benefits of CHT for SZ.

Conflicting Evidence

→ HARD TO DETERMINE CAUSE AND EFFECT

• One weakness of CBT for SZ is that it is difficult to establish the effectiveness of the therapy

• This is because most studies of the effectiveness of CBT have been conducted with patients who were being treated with antipsychotic medication at the same time.

• This is because it would have been unethical to take away a patients drugs for the purpose of the study, therefore the drugs could not be controlled.

• Therefore it is difficult to establish the effectiveness of CBT independently of antipsychotic medication.

→ VARIED TECHNIQUES & SYMPTOMS

• A further strength of CBT for SZ is the wide range of techniques and symptoms included in studies.

• CBT techniques and symptoms vary widely from one case to another. Thomas (2015) points out that different studies have involved the use of different CBT techniques and people with different combinations of positive and negative symptoms.

• The overall modest benefits of CBT for SZ probably conceal a wide variety of effects of different CBT techniques on different symptoms.

• This makes it hard to say how effective CBT will be for a particular person with SZ.