In schizophrenia, behavioral therapy works

In schizophrenia, behavioral therapy can be just as effective as medication

07/02/2014

In schizophrenia sufferers benefit as well from a cognitive behavioral therapy as antipsychotic drugs. This was the result of an investigation by the Greater Manchester West Mental Health Foundation Trust published in the journal „The Lancet“ has been published. Thus, a behavioral therapy could be especially helpful in patients who refuse to take medication. These were mostly left to themselves. Because only a fraction of schizophrenic patients receives such a therapy.

Patients with schizophrenia often only receive medication
Although cognitive-behavioral therapy is one of the officially recommended treatments in the UK, only ten percent of patients with schizophrenia receive this therapy.

Schizophrenia is a severe mental illness in which the thinking, the affectivity and the perception of those affected are pathologically altered. This manifests itself, for example, by hearing voices and paranoid thoughts. Some patients are unable to leave the house. A behavioral therapy focuses on these problems by identifying the individual symptoms and developing a strategy to deal with the problems in everyday life.

Behavioral therapy reduces the symptoms of schizophrenia
The UK study tested the effectiveness of such behavioral therapy in 74 patients. It showed that this treatment method is just as effective as the use of antipsychotic drugs. Only four out of ten schizophrenic patients benefit from antipsychotic drugs. The majority, however, has no benefit from the drugs.

„Antipsychotic drugs are the cornerstones of treatment for schizophrenia, but half of all people with schizophrenia oppose taking this drug because of side effects, such as severe weight gain, the development of metabolic disorders and the increased risk of sudden cardiac death, or because of the treatment does not feel effective or because they do not perceive that they need treatment. There is currently no evidence-based, safe and effective treatment alternative, "said Professor Anthony Morrison, lead investigator, in the journal.

However, according to Morrison, cognitive behavioral therapy reduces symptoms. In addition, the personal and social competence increases. These effects were found in 46 percent of the study participants, which roughly corresponds to the value of antipsychotic drugs. A comparison of the two forms of treatment was not performed in this study. „We have proven that it is a safe and very effective treatment approach“, so Morrison.

In schizophrenia, many patients prefer behavioral therapy
„One of our most interesting findings was that most patients agreed to behavioral therapy if they had the choice, "explains Douglas Turkington, who also participated in the study, in the journal „Nobody taking antipsychotics should suddenly give them up because of the great risk of relapse. Medical advice should always be sought if you are considering dropping your medication.“

As the current study shows, it is important for patients with schizophrenia to offer cognitive behavioral therapy. Otherwise they will be left to their own devices. Especially those who refuse to take medication often do not go to the doctor. „However, a larger study is needed to confirm the clinical impact of our pilot study, "writes Morrison.