Schizophrenia is a chronic mental illness characterized by difficulty sharing an interpretation of reality with others, resulting in bizarre, sometimes delusional, behaviors and speech. Schizophrenia is commonly treated by taking neuroleptics (also called antipsychotics) but medical authorities in many countries recommend accompanying this treatment with cognitive and behavioral therapy to relieve the cognitive symptoms associated with the disease (attention disorders, memory, information processing speed).
However, a new analysis from the University of Hertfordshire, in Great Britain, suggests that cognitive therapies ultimately have little effect on the symptoms of schizophrenia.
An analysis of 50 global studies
To reach this conclusion, the researchers led by Professor Keith Laws, professor of neuropsychology at the University of Hertfordshire, analyzed around fifty studies published on the subject over the past 20 years. They found, especially in blind studies, that cognitive-behavioral therapies had little effect on delusions and hallucinations, even though it was the symptoms that were primarily targeted by these therapies.
Hallucinations are the main symptom experienced by people with schizophrenia. These are most often auditory hallucinations that take the form of imaginary, sometimes strange or persecuting voices. In addition, the sick person has bouts of delirium. She imagines that the person looking at her or passing her in the street is there to spy on her. She feels watched, persecuted, in danger. This new study suggests that the routine prescription of cognitive therapy as part of the treatment of schizophrenia should be questioned.