Schizophrenia: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

Question 1

What is the aim of CBT?

Answer 1

Help patients identify irrational/delusional thoughts and change them into more rational ones vias disputing - making them less threatening

Question 2

What is empirical disputing?

Answer 2

Therapist asks patient where is the evidence of their delusion/hallucination

Question 3

How does empirical disputing help?

Answer 3

Helps patients understand the delusion/hallucination is not real and the therapist could explain that it is just a symptom of their Schizophrenia.

Question 4

What does offering more plausible explanations for these symptoms do?

Answer 4

Reduce anxiety/distress

Question 5

What does offering more plausible explanations for these symptoms help patients realise?

Answer 5

Their beliefs are not based in reality and their thoughts are less threatening

Question 6

What is positive self talk?

Answer 6

If an individual hears negative voices, they can say positive statements that challenge the auditory hallucinations, so over time the thoughts and hallucinations become less threatening

Question 7

What is a self-distraction strategy?

Answer 7

E.g., listening to music to drown out voices when they occur

Question 8

1 - Who researched the effectiveness of CBT?

Answer 8

Lauhar et al

Question 9

1 - What did Lauhar et al do?

Answer 9

Reviewed the results of 34 studies of CBT as a treatment for Schizophrenia.

Question 10

1 - What did they conclude?

Answer 10

That CBT has a significant but small effect on both positive and negative symptoms

Question 11

1 - What did Lauhar demonstrate?

Answer 11

That CBT is fairly effective in treating Schizophrenia by challening patients irrational thoughts, can reduce symptoms of depression

Question 12

1 - What is worth noting down?

Answer 12

Out of the 34 studies, CBT only had a small impact on Schizophrenia symptoms

Question 13

1 - What does it place doubt on?

Answer 13

The effectiveness of CBT as a treatment for Schizophrenia

Question 14

2 - What is a limitation of CBT?

Answer 14

It requires motivation and committment for patients to attend sessions

Question 15

2 - What might patients suffer from?

Answer 15

Negative symptoms of Schizophrenia such as avolition

Question 16

2 - What else does CBT require?

Answer 16

Patients to engage in therapy

Question 17

2 - What might someone with Schizophrenia lack?

Answer 17

Lack of awareness and an innaccurte perception of reality

Question 18

2 - In some cases, when is CBT effective?

Answer 18

When combined with antipsychotics

Question 19

2 - Why is CBT effective when combined with drugs?

Answer 19

Drugs help patient motivate themselves to attend the sessions/increase patient awareness

Question 20

2 - What is CBT alone?

Answer 20

Not effective for all cases of Schizophrenia

Question 21

3 - What does CBT avoid?

Answer 21

Chemical dependence

Question 22

3 - Why does CBT avoid chemical dependence?

Answer 22

It encourages individuals to identify and challenge their irrational/delusional thoughts independently

Question 23

3 - What does CBT allow?

Answer 23

Individuals to have control over their own behaviour

Question 24

3 - What is CBT unlike?

Answer 24

Drug therapy

Question 25

3 - What does drug therapy impose?

Answer 25

The chemical straitjacket

Question 26

3 - What does the drug control?

Answer 26

The activity of neurotransmitters in the brain like Dopamine to reduce symptoms of Schizophrenia which could cause dependence

Question 27

3 - What is the link for chemical dependence?

Answer 27

Some may prefer CBT as a more appropriate treatment for Schizophrenia