Randomized controlled trial of an internet cognitive behavioral skills-based program for auditory hallucinations in persons with psychosis.

OBJECTIVE: Despite strong evidence supporting the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy for psychosis (CBTp), most clinicians in the United States have received little or no training in the approach and access remains very low, indicating a potential role for technology in increasing access to this intervention. Coping With Voices (CWV) is a 10-session, interactive, Web-based CBTp skills program that was developed to meet this need, and was shown to be feasible and associated with reduced severity of auditory hallucinations in a previous pilot study. To more rigorously evaluate this program, a randomized controlled trial was conducted comparing the efficacy of CWV to usual care (UC). METHOD: The trial was conducted with a sample of 37 community mental health center clients with schizophrenia and moderate-to-severe auditory hallucinations, with assessments conducted at baseline, posttreatment, and 3-month follow-up. RESULTS: Engagement in and satisfaction with the CWV program were high. Both the CWV and UC groups improved comparably in severity of auditory hallucinations and other symptoms over the treatment and at follow-up. However, participants in the CWV program showed significantly greater increases in social functioning and in knowledge about CBTp. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: The results suggest that the CWV program has promise for increasing access to CBTp, and associated benefits in the management of distressing psychotic symptoms and improving social functioning. (PsycINFO Database Record

Web-based cognitive-behavioral therapy for auditory hallucinations in persons with psychosis: a pilot study.

CBT for Psychosis (CBTp) is an empirically-supported intervention for schizophrenia, but few people have access to it in the U.S. "Coping with Voices" is an interactive, computerized self-directed web-based CBTp program developed to increase access to CBTp with the objective of reducing the severity, distress, and functional impairment caused by auditory hallucinations. This open pilot study tested the feasibility and effects of this new intervention. Twenty-one individuals with schizophrenia spectrum disorders and auditory hallucinations were enrolled in the individual-based 10-session Coping with Voices program at one of 4 community mental health centers. High levels of participant satisfaction with the program were found, with most reporting that the program was engaging and helped them manage their symptoms. Seventeen participants (81%) completed more than 50% of the scheduled program sessions (i.e., 6 or more sessions), and were defined as "exposed" to the program. Exposed participants showed statistically significant reductions from baseline to post-treatment in several measures of auditory hallucinations, including overall severity and the perception of voices as an "outside entity" and intensity of "negative commentary," as well as reductions in other psychotic symptoms, and overall psychopathology. This study supports the feasibility of the web-based Coping with Voices program and its potential clinical benefits, and suggests that more rigorous research is warranted to evaluate its effects.