Delivery of cognitive-behaviour therapy for psychosis: a service user preference trial.

BACKGROUND: Clinical guidelines recommend cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) for people with psychosis, however, implementation is poor and not everyone wishes to engage with therapy. Understanding service user (SU) preferences for receiving such treatments is a priority for services. AIMS: To explore SU preferences and outcomes of different methods of delivering CBT for psychosis. METHOD: SUs experiencing psychosis could choose between treatment as usual (TAU); TAU plus telephone-delivered CBT with self-help, CBT recovery manual (TS); high support CBT (HS - TAU plus TS plus group sessions) or randomisation. Participants received their option of choice and were followed-up on several outcomes over 9 and 15 months. RESULTS: Of 89 people recruited, three chose to be randomised and 86 expressed a treatment preference (32 chose TAU, 34 chose TS, 23 chose HS). There were few differences between those who chose therapy compared to those who chose TAU. Those who had more positive impacts from their symptoms were significantly more likely to choose TAU. CONCLUSIONS: Most people had strong preferences about treatment delivery and a substantial number did not wish to receive additional therapy. These findings have to be considered when planning and allocating resources for people with psychosis.

Emotional response to a therapeutic technique: The social Broad Minded Affective Coping.

OBJECTIVES: It has been suggested that savouring positive memories can generate positive emotions. Increasing positive emotion can have a range of benefits including reducing attention to and experiences of threat. This study investigated individuals' emotional reactions to a guided mental imagery task focussing on positive social memory called the 'social Broad Minded Affective Coping (BMAC)' technique. The study examined possible predictors of individuals' responses to this intervention. METHOD: An internet-based, within-group, repeated-measures design was used. One hundred and twenty-three participants completed self-report measures of self-attacking and social safeness/pleasure. They were then guided through the social BMAC. Participants completed state measures of positive and negative affect and social safeness/pleasure before and after the intervention. Forty-nine participants took part in a 2-week follow-up. RESULTS: It was found that safe/warm positive affect, relaxed positive affect and feelings of social safeness increased following the social BMAC, whilst negative affect decreased. In addition, it was found that people scoring higher on inadequate self-attacking benefited most from this intervention. Changes in affect were not maintained at the 2-week follow-up. CONCLUSION: The results provide preliminary support for the efficacy of the social BMAC in activating specific types of mood (those associated with safeness rather than drive/reward). This task has potential as part of therapeutic interventions directed at clinical groups, but further evaluation is needed. PRACTITIONER POINTS: The social Broad Minded Affective Coping (BMAC) was related to improvements in forms of positive affect linked to the affiliative system. This task may be helpful in inducing these positive mood states within therapy. Further evaluation comparing the BMAC to a control task is needed. Individuals with a greater fear of compassion or more hated-self-criticism may gain less from the task, although effects were small.

Cognitive therapy for internalised stigma in people experiencing psychosis: A pilot randomised controlled trial.

We aimed to evaluate the feasibility of Cognitive Therapy (CT) as an intervention for internalised stigma in people with psychosis. We conducted a single-blind randomised controlled pilot trial comparing CT plus treatment as usual (TAU) with TAU only. Participants were assessed at end of treatment (4 months) and follow-up (7 months). Twenty-nine participants with schizophrenia spectrum disorders were randomised. CT incorporated up to 12 sessions over 4 months (mean sessions=9.3). Primary outcome was the Internalised Stigma of Mental Illness Scale - Revised (ISMI-R) total score, which provides a continuous measure of internalised stigma associated with mental health problems. Secondary outcomes included self-rated recovery, internalised shame, emotional problems, hopelessness and self-esteem. Recruitment rates and retention for this trial were good. Changes in outcomes were analysed following the intention-to-treat principle, using ANCOVAs adjusted for baseline symptoms. There was no effect on our primary outcome, with a sizable reduction observed in both groups, but several secondary outcomes were significantly improved in the group assigned to CT, in comparison with TAU, including internalised shame, hopelessness and self-rated recovery. Stigma-focused CT appears feasible and acceptable in people with psychosis who have high levels of internalised stigma. A larger, definitive trial is required.

Recovery-focused cognitive-behavioural therapy for recent-onset bipolar disorder: randomised controlled pilot trial.

BACKGROUND: Despite evidence for the effectiveness of structured psychological therapies for bipolar disorder no psychological interventions have been specifically designed to enhance personal recovery for individuals with recent-onset bipolar disorder. AIMS: A pilot study to assess the feasibility and effectiveness of a new intervention, recovery-focused cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT), designed in collaboration with individuals with recent-onset bipolar disorder intended to improve clinical and personal recovery outcomes. METHOD: A single, blind randomised controlled trial compared treatment as usual (TAU) with recovery-focused CBT plus TAU (n = 67). RESULTS: Recruitment and follow-up rates within 10% of pre-planned targets to 12-month follow-up were achieved. An average of 14.15 h (s.d. = 4.21) of recovery-focused CBT were attended out of a potential maximum of 18 h. Compared with TAU, recovery-focused CBT significantly improved personal recovery up to 12-month follow-up (Bipolar Recovery Questionnaire mean score 310.87, 95% CI 75.00-546.74 (s.e. = 120.34), P = 0.010, d = 0.62) and increased time to any mood relapse during up to 15 months follow-up (χ2 = 7.64, P<0.006, estimated hazard ratio (HR) = 0.38, 95% CI 0.18-0.78). Groups did not differ with respect to medication adherence. CONCLUSIONS: Recovery-focused CBT seems promising with respect to feasibility and potential clinical effectiveness. Clinical- and cost-effectiveness now need to be reliably estimated in a definitive trial.

An exploration of the therapeutic alliance within a telephone-based cognitive behaviour therapy for individuals with experience of psychosis.

OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the therapeutic alliance (TA) between clients and therapists involved in a telephone-based cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) oriented psychological intervention for individuals experiencing psychosis. DESIGN: The telephone intervention involved recovery-focused CBT with use of a self-help guide and group intervention co-facilitated by colleagues with personal experience of psychosis. It was delivered as part of a Participant Preference Trial. METHODS: Twenty-one client/therapist dyads were examined within this study. In addition to a measure of TA, clients completed measures of depression, social functioning, symptom severity, and strength of treatment preference, while therapists completed measures related to the level of shared formulation, therapist confidence, and therapeutic change estimates. RESULTS: Therapeutic alliance levels were comparable to previously reported face-to-face psychosis intervention studies. Clients consistently reported significantly higher TA ratings compared to therapists. Depression scores and the strength of preference for treatment were significantly associated with client TA. Greater therapist perceived change was associated with higher therapist rated TA, while higher numbers of missed therapy sessions associated with lower therapist ratings. CONCLUSIONS: Telephone-based psychosis interventions may support the formation of positive relationships that are comparable to the quality of relationships developed between therapists and clients during face-to-face CBT therapy. Methodological limitations including low participant numbers and heightened risk of a Type I error necessitate caution when interpreting findings. Further research into therapist and client variables associated with TA is required. PRACTITIONER POINTS: Telephone delivered interventions to support people with psychosis-related difficulties can result in the development of a good quality TA between therapists and clients. There is a significant difference between therapist and client ratings of TA. Clients tend to score the quality of the TA significantly more highly than therapists. Providing clients with choice when participating in therapeutic interventions could potentially contribute towards improved TA reporting by clients.

Assessing therapist adherence to recovery-focused cognitive behavioural therapy for psychosis delivered by telephone with support from a self-help guide: psychometric evaluations of a new fidelity scale.

BACKGROUND: Recent research has highlighted the importance of psychological interventions such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) in improving outcomes and promoting recovery for people with experience of psychosis, although a lack of trained therapists means that availability of face-to-face CBT is low. Alternative modes of delivering CBT are being explored, such as telephone and self-help methods, although research to date on whether they can be implemented effectively is limited. AIMS: The aims of the present study were to describe and evaluate a new therapy fidelity scale (ROSTA; Recovery Oriented Self-help and Telephone therapy Adherence). This scale was developed to assess fidelity to cognitive behaviour therapy for psychosis (CBTp) focused on improving recovery, with optional subscales for delivery over the telephone and alongside a self-help guide. METHOD: Experienced CBT therapists rated recorded therapy sessions using the ROSTA scale. The scores were used to assess internal consistency and inter-rater reliability, before being compared to scores from an independent expert rater using an alternative fidelity scale for cognitive therapy in psychosis (the CTS-Psy), to investigate concurrent validity. RESULTS: The ROSTA scale demonstrated excellent internal consistency, inter-rater reliability and validity when evaluated as a whole, although findings were mixed in terms of the individual subscales and items. CONCLUSIONS: The ROSTA scale is, on the whole, a reliable and valid tool, which may be useful in training and supervision, a utility that would be further emphasized if the therapeutic intervention it assesses is deemed to be efficacious based on future work.

Exploring service users' perceptions of cognitive behavioural therapy for psychosis: a user led study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: This study explored individuals' subjective experiences of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for psychosis (CBTp) with the aim of identifying coherent themes consistent across individual accounts and any potential barriers to CBTp effectiveness. METHOD: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine individuals with experience of CBTp. A qualitative Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis was used to analyze the data collected to identify common themes. RESULTS: Five super-ordinate themes emerged from our analyses: CBT as a process of person-centred engagement; CBT as an active process of structured learning; CBT helping to improve personal understanding; CBT is hard work; Recovery and outcomes of CBT for psychosis. CONCLUSIONS: The theoretical and clinical implications are discussed.

A randomised controlled trial of recovery focused CBT for individuals with early bipolar disorder.

BACKGROUND: There is increasing evidence for the effectiveness of structured psychological therapies for bipolar disorder. To date however there have been no psychological interventions specifically designed for individuals with early bipolar disorder. The primary objective of this trial is to establish the acceptability and feasibility of a new CBT based intervention (Recovery focused CBT; RfCBT) designed in collaboration with individuals with early bipolar disorder intended to improve clinical and personal recovery outcomes. METHODS AND DESIGN: This article describes a single blind randomised controlled trial to assess the feasibility and acceptability of RfCBT compared with treatment as usual. Participants will be recruited from across the North West of England from specialist mental health services and through primary care and self referral. The primary outcome of the study is the feasibility and acceptability of RfCBT as indicated by recruitment to target and retention to follow-up as well as absence of untoward incidents associated with RfCBT. We also intend to estimate the effect size of the impact of the intervention on recovery and mood outcomes and explore potential process measures (self appraisal, stigma, hope and self esteem). DISCUSSION: This is the first trial of recovery informed CBT for early bipolar disorder and will therefore be of interest to researchers in this area as well as indicating the wider potential for evaluating approaches to the recovery informed treatment of recent onset severe mental illness in general. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ISRCTN43062149.

Intelligent real-time therapy: harnessing the power of machine learning to optimise the delivery of momentary cognitive-behavioural interventions.

BACKGROUND: Experience sampling methodology (ESM) [Csikszentmihalyi, M. & Larson, R. (1987). Validity and reliability of the experience-sampling method. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 175(9), 526-536] has been used to elucidate the cognitive-behavioural mechanisms underlying the development and maintenance of complex mental disorders as well as mechanisms involved in resilience from such states. We present an argument for the development of intelligent real-time therapy (iRTT). Machine learning and reinforcement learning specifically may be used to optimise the delivery of interventions by observing and altering the timing of real-time therapies based on ongoing ESM measures. AIMS: The aims of the present article are to outline the principles of iRTT and to consider how it would be applied to complex problems such as suicide prevention. METHODS: Relevant literature was identified through use of PychInfo. RESULTS: iRTT may provide an important and ecologically valid adjunct to traditional CBT, providing a means of balancing population-based data with individual data, thus addressing the "knowledge-practice gap" [Tarrier, N. (2010b). The cognitive and behavioral treatment of PTSD, what is known and what is known to be unknown: How not to fall into the practice gap. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 17(2), 134-143] and facilitating the delivery of interventions in situ, thereby addressing the "therapy-real-world gap". CONCLUSIONS: iRTT may provide a platform for the development of individualised and multifaceted momentary intervention strategies that are ecologically valid and aimed at attenuating pathological pathways to complex mental health problems and amplifying pathways associated with resilience.

A pilot randomized trial of metacognitive therapy vs applied relaxation in the treatment of adults with generalized anxiety disorder.

Metacognitive Therapy (MCT) and Applied Relaxation (AR) were compared in a pilot treatment trial of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Twenty outpatients meeting criteria for DSM-IV-TR GAD were assessed before treatment, after treatment and at 6 m and 12 m follow-up. The patients were randomized and treated individually for 8-12 weekly sessions. There was no drop-out from MCT and 10% at 6 m follow-up from AR. At post-treatment and at both follow-up points MCT was superior to AR. Standardized recovery rates for MCT at post-treatment were 80% on measures of worry and trait-anxiety compared with 10% following AR. At 6 m follow-up recovery rates for MCT were 70% on both measures compared with 10% and 20% for AR. At 12 m follow-up recovery rates for MCT were 80% (worry) and 60% (trait-anxiety) compared with 10% and 20% following AR. The recovery rates for MCT are similar to those obtained in an earlier uncontrolled trial (Wells & King, 2006). The effect sizes and standardized recovery rates for MCT suggest that it is a highly effective treatment.