Method for treatingmentaldisorders based on cognitive and behaviouraltechniques. May deal with thinking such as challengingnegativethoughts
Family Therapy
Apsychologicaltherapy carried out with all or some of the familymembers of a family with the aim of improvingcommunicationwithin the family and reducingstress
CBTexplained
Commonly used for people with schizo
May take between 5-20 sessions either in groups or individually
CBT aims to deal with thoughts and behaviours
How does CBThelp?
CBT can help patients make sense of how their irrational thoughts such as delusions and hallucinations impact their feelings and behaviour
Understanding the symptoms can help reduced the effects it has on the patient
It does not get rid of symptoms but helps them cope and improves their ability to function
How may CBT help someone with hallucinations?
If someone is hearing voices they may be told that this is the extension of the ordinary experience of thinking in words
This then makes the patient less worried about their symptoms and can help them cope more
How may CBT help someone with delusions?
Delusions can be challenged
Reality testing can be used where the patient and therapist examine the likelihood of their delusions being true
When delusions are resistant to reality CBT can be used to tackle anxiety and depression
AO3 CBT: Evidence for effectiveness
The NICEreview of treatments for schizophrenia also found consistentevidence to show CBT was most effective when combined with antipsychotic medication
It was effective in reducing rehospitalisation rates up to 18 months following the end of treatment
Also reduced symptom severity compared to patients receiving only antipsychotics
AO3 CBT: Lack of availability
1 in10actuallygetaccess to CBT
Out of 187randomlyselectedschizophrenics only 13 had been offered the therapy and many failed to attend or refused
Therapy also requires a trainedprofessional to deliver the sessions over a number of months making it costly and timeconsuming
Patients may struggle to open up with a therapist and the effectiveness of the therapy is influenced by the skill of the practitioner
CBT may be inappropriate for most people
AO3 CBT: Quality of evidence
There is a wide range of techniques and symptoms included in studies
CBT techniques and schizo symptoms vary from one case to another
Different positive and negative symptoms require different techniques
This makes it hard to say how effective CBT will be for a specific person with schizo
AO3 CBT: Maynotbeuseful for all patients
CBT may in truth only be effective with people with milderforms of schizophrenia
They must have enough level of insight and awareness into their own thinking to actually address this
Not all patients will be able to use CBT as they may lack the intelligence, insight or their symptoms are too severe to control
Some studies have found that age may well be a factor with CBT being less effective for older patients as they may not engage as well
How does family therapy helps?
Reduce negative emotions- reducing stress is important to reduce the likelihood of relapse
Forming a therapeuticalliance with the family
Ensure the family achieves a balance of caring for the patient and still maintaining their own lives
Improving families beliefs towards schizo
Can take between 3 months to a year
AO3 Family Therapy: Evidence of effectiveness
Family Therapy is one of the most consistently effective treatments that are offered for schizophrenics
Relapse rates are reduced by 50-60%
NICE also recommends showing its effectiveness
AO3 Family Therapy: Putting burden on family
Family therapy puts significant burden on the family members who may be ill equipped to cope with the needs of schizophrenic sufferers
Specialist care may be better suited by staff that better understand the symptoms
Use of family members may not be appropriate as this could then impact on their lives causing great stress as they cope to manage another person’s problems as well as their own
The family environment may offering lower relapse rates but may be masking the symptoms of the sufferer
AO3 Family Therapy: Benefits whole family
Therapy is not just for the benefit of the identified patient but also for the families that provide the bulkof the care
By strengthening the functioning of a whole family, family therapy lessens the negative impact of schizo on other family members and strengthens family ability to support the schizophrenic person
AO3 Family Therapy: Not helpful for all families
The focus on being “open” could cause problems for family members who may be reluctant to share personal information as this may increase family tensions within the home environment
The reluctance to talk or acknowledge problems may hinder the effectiveness of the therapy
If this could be overcome family therapy may be useful for patients who lack insight into their own illnesses or are unable to talk about it
Family members may have a greater awareness of the patient’s behaviour and raise these on their behalf