psychological treatments for schizophrenia Flashcards
what are the psychological treatments for schizophrenia
CBT
Family therapies
Token economies
how many sessions does CBT take place between
it takes place between 5 and 20 sessions either in groups or on an individual basis
what is the aim of CBT
the aim of CBT, in general, involves helping people identify irrational thoughts and trying to change them
what does CBT involve
CBT may involve:
arguments or a discussion of how likely the person’s beliefs are to be true and consideration of other less threatening possibilities
This will not get rid of the symptoms of schizophrenia but it can make people better able to cope with them
how does CBT help
people can help to make sense of their delusions and hallucinations which can impact their feelings and behaviour
e.g. a person who hears voices and believes the voices are demons, they will naturally be afraid
offering psychological explanations for the existence of hallucinations and delusions can help reduce this anxiety - delusions can be challenged so that an individual can come to learn that their beliefs are not based on reality
what is an example of CBT being used for schizophrenia
Turkington et al (2004) describes an example of CBT used to challenge where a paranoid client’s delusions come from:
Paranoid clients (PC): the mafia is observing me decide how to kill me
Therapist: You are obviously very frightened, there must be a good reason for this
PC: do you think it’s the mafia
Therapist: It’s a possibility but there could be other explanations
Why do you think it’s the mafia
what is family therapy
it takes place with families rather than individual clients, aiming to improve the quality of communication and interactions between family members
how does family therapies work
some therapies see the family as the root cause of the condition:
Nowadays though, most therapists are concerned with reducing stress within the family might contribute to a person’s risk of relapse
it also aims to reduce levels of expressed emotion (EE)
how do family therapies help
Fiona Pharaoh et al (2010) identify a range of strategies by which family therapies aim to improve the functioning of a family experiencing schizophrenia:
- forming therapeutic alliances with family members
- reducing the stress of caring for a relative with schizophrenia
- improving the ability of a family to anticipate and solve problems
what are token economies
token economies are reward systems which manage the behaviour of people with schizophrenia
modifying the behaviour does not cure schizophrenia but it improves the person’s quality of life and makes it likely they can live outside a hospital
who mainly benefit from token economy systems
those who develop patterns of maldaptive behaviour through being institutionalised
it is common to develop bad hygiene or perhaps to remain in pajamas all day
what are tokens
tokens e.g. coloured discs are given immediately to patients when they have carried out a desirable behaviour that has been targeted for reinforcement
this immediacy of reward is important because it prevents “delay discounting”, the reduced effect of a delayed reward
what are the desirable behaviours that can be reinforced
-getting dressed in the morning
making a bed
why are rewards important
the tokens have no value in themselves but can be swapped later for tangible rewards
what is toke economies based on
token economies are a kind of behavioural therapy based on operant conditioning
Tokens are secondary reinforces because they only have value once the patient had learned that they can be used to obtain rewards
