Token Economies

• What is one strength of token economies?

  Research supports their effectiveness.
• What did Glowacki et al. (2016) examine regarding token economies?

  They examined 7 quality studies on token economies between 1993-2013.
• What was the finding of Glowacki et al. (2016) regarding token economies for people with chronic mental health issues?

  Token economies were effective in reducing negative symptoms and unwanted behaviors.
• What does the evidence from Glowacki et al. (2016) suggest about the effectiveness of token economies?

  It suggests that token economies are effective for individuals with chronic mental health issues.
• What did McMonagle and Sultana (2009) find in their review of token economies?

  They found only three studies with randomly allocated patients, totaling 110 patients.
• What limitation did McMonagle and Sultana (2009) highlight regarding the studies on token economies?

  They highlighted the limited number of studies with random allocation of patients.
• What ethical issues are associated with token economies in managing schizophrenia (SZ) patients?

  Ethical issues have been raised regarding their use.
• Why are token economy systems considered controversial?

  They favor patients with mild symptoms over those with severe symptoms.
• What is the impact of token economies on severely ill patients with schizophrenia?

  They suffer discrimination and have less access to privileges and services.
• How have families of patients responded to the use of token economies?

  Some families have challenged the legality of token economies.
• What has been the effect of legal challenges on the use of token economies in the psychiatric system?

  It has reduced the use of token economies.
• Weaknesses of Family Therapy 


  P - more pleasant ethical treatments are available

  E - Chiang et al. (2019) reviewed studies suggesting art therapy could be a good alternative, and does not have any side effects

  E - This is a limitation as NICE guidelines recommend art therapy for SZ and is therefore a good alternative to token economies
• What is one strength of token economies in psychiatric settings?

  Further supporting research
• What did Dickerson et al (2005) review in their study?

  They reviewed 13 studies of the use of token economies in the treatment of schizophrenia.
• How many studies reported beneficial effects of token economies according to Dickerson et al (2005)?

  11 out of 13 studies
• What conclusion did Dickerson et al (2005) reach regarding token economies?

  They concluded that the studies provide evidence of the effectiveness of token economies in increasing adaptive behaviors of patients with schizophrenia.
• What caution did Dickerson et al (2005) provide regarding the studies they reviewed?

  They cautioned that many studies had significant methodological shortcomings that limited their impact.
• What are the methodological shortcomings mentioned by Dickerson et al (2005)?

  Many studies had significant methodological shortcomings.