Metacognitive Therapy for negative symptoms in psychosis
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Modified Metacognitive Therapy for negative symptoms in psychotic disorders
IRAS ID
189645
Contact name
Linda Eriksson
Contact email
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Psychotic disorders typically involve experiences that are not present in the general population. Symptoms involve additional experiences and behaviours for example delusions; hallucinations; disorganised behaviour or speech. Clinicians call these symptoms “positive” as they are additional to normal functioning. Psychosis can also involve a loss of functions, for example loss of interest and/or motivation in life, social interaction and activities. These symptoms, which will be the focus of the intervention proposed in this proposal, are called “negative” as they are subtracted from normal functioning. Research suggests that metacognition (i.e. one’s capacity to understand one’s own mind; to understand others’ mind; and to use this information to solve interpersonal problems) may play an important in the development and maintenance of negative symptoms as metacognition have been found to correlate with negative symptoms (e.g. emotional withdrawal and blunted affect).
Metacognitive therapy (MCT) for psychosis (Moritz & Woodward, 2007) aims to raise the participants’ awareness of certain unhelpful thinking patterns (e.g. jumping to conclusions) to help participants to critically reflect on and modify their current thinking pattern in order to develop their metacognitive ability and hence decrease their psychotic experiences. MCT for positive symptoms have successfully been applied to individuals with psychosis in various settings (e.g. in-patient care, community rehabilitation services). This study aims to deliver and evaluate MCT for negative symptoms to individuals with psychotic disorders.
The intervention will include eight sessions, delivered weekly over an eight week period. Participants (recruited from mental health services across NHS Lothian) will be interviewed about their symptoms and asked to complete certain outcome questionnaires prior to starting the group, in the beginning of each session, after completing the intervention, and at twelve weeks post completion. In addition, the subjects will be interviewed about their view of the intervention within a week of them completing the intervention.
REC name
South East Scotland REC 02
REC reference
16/SS/0046
Date of REC Opinion
26 Feb 2016
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion