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BACKGROUND: There is evidence that patients with schizophrenia benefit from standard cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) only if active techniques are used ('full therapy'). By contrast, attending sessions but not proceeding beyond engagement and assessment strategies ('partial therapy'), or simply not attending sessions ('no therapy'), is not associated with better outcomes. The factors leading to full therapy are unknown. We hypothesized that patients' initial ideas about the nature and extent of their problems would predict use of CBT. A match between patients' views of their problems and the principles underlying treatment would lead to better outcomes. METHOD: Ninety-two patients with a recent relapse of psychosis completed the Illness Perception Questionnaire (IPQ) before receiving CBT. We examined whether their illness perceptions predicted the take-up of therapy. RESULTS: Patients who did not attend sessions believed their problems would not last as long as those who attended them. Those who attended sessions but did not proceed to full therapy had a lower sense of control over their problems and a more biological view of their causes. Patients who took up full therapy were more likely to attribute the cause of their problems to their personality and state of mind. The take-up of therapy was predicted neither by levels of psychiatric symptoms nor by insight. CONCLUSIONS: People with psychosis who have psychologically orientated views of their problems, including the potential to gain control over them, may be more likely to engage fully and do well with standard CBT for psychosis, irrespective of the severity of their problems.

Original publication

DOI

10.1017/S0033291712001225

Type

Journal article

Journal

Psychol Med

Publication Date

02/2013

Volume

43

Pages

269 - 277

Keywords

Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Analysis of Variance, Attitude to Health, Cognitive Therapy, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Outcome Assessment (Health Care), Patient Acceptance of Health Care, Psychiatric Status Rating Scales, Psychotic Disorders, Schizophrenia, Schizophrenic Psychology, Secondary Prevention, Surveys and Questionnaires, Young Adult