Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
The treatment of psychotic symptoms has traditionally posed a challenge for mental health professionals. Different groups of psychotic symptoms can present concurrently in a patient experiencing psychosis, often manifesting in behaviours that both add to and take away from the person’s experience (Grawe, Falloon, Widen & Skogvall, 2006). Consequently, what might be an effective treatment for one group of psychotic symptoms can be ineffective or even detrimental to the treatment or progression of another, making the formulation of an appropriate treatment regime a unique challenge.
Psychotic symptoms that add to a person’s experience are known as positive symptoms and include sensory hallucinations, delusions and disorganised speech or …show more content…
They also tend to result in higher levels of functional disability than positive symptoms (Perivoliotis & Cather, 2009). Subsequently, cognitive behavioural therapy for psychosis is thought to be effective in the treatment of negative psychotic symptoms by addressing issues such as helping patients to improve relationships and increase social networks (Morrison, 2009), as well as assisting clients in setting and achieving goals. The achievement of personal goals can lead to improvements in self-esteem and self-efficacy, reduced stigma, and a sense of possessing a greater set of personal resources, resulting in improved overall functioning (Perivoliotis & Cather, …show more content…
Clozapine was the first antipsychotic that didn’t produce the debilitating extra-pyramidal side effects associated with the typical antipsychotics, dispelling the previously held belief that these neurological side effects were an inescapable adjunct to clinical response in all antipsychotic medications (Remington, Agid, Foussias, Hahn, Rao & Sinyor, 2013). Clozapine is the gold standard for treatment in the 20-33% of patients with schizophrenia whose psychotic symptoms have previously resisted other antipsychotic treatment (Boggs, Kelly, love, Macmahon & Conley, 2008). However, because its effectiveness is often balanced against its safety issues and serious side effect profile, it is not the first line of treatment for psychotic symptoms in most developed countries (Farooq & Taylor, 2011; Bitter, Dossenbach, Brook, Feldman, Metcalfe, Gagiano,…Breier,
Psychotic symptoms that add to a person’s experience are known as positive symptoms and include sensory hallucinations, delusions and disorganised speech or …show more content…
They also tend to result in higher levels of functional disability than positive symptoms (Perivoliotis & Cather, 2009). Subsequently, cognitive behavioural therapy for psychosis is thought to be effective in the treatment of negative psychotic symptoms by addressing issues such as helping patients to improve relationships and increase social networks (Morrison, 2009), as well as assisting clients in setting and achieving goals. The achievement of personal goals can lead to improvements in self-esteem and self-efficacy, reduced stigma, and a sense of possessing a greater set of personal resources, resulting in improved overall functioning (Perivoliotis & Cather, …show more content…
Clozapine was the first antipsychotic that didn’t produce the debilitating extra-pyramidal side effects associated with the typical antipsychotics, dispelling the previously held belief that these neurological side effects were an inescapable adjunct to clinical response in all antipsychotic medications (Remington, Agid, Foussias, Hahn, Rao & Sinyor, 2013). Clozapine is the gold standard for treatment in the 20-33% of patients with schizophrenia whose psychotic symptoms have previously resisted other antipsychotic treatment (Boggs, Kelly, love, Macmahon & Conley, 2008). However, because its effectiveness is often balanced against its safety issues and serious side effect profile, it is not the first line of treatment for psychotic symptoms in most developed countries (Farooq & Taylor, 2011; Bitter, Dossenbach, Brook, Feldman, Metcalfe, Gagiano,…Breier,