Reviewing and modifying beliefs in people who hear voices
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A pilot study of a two session responsibility intervention for auditory hallucinations.
IRAS ID
199326
Contact name
Rosanna Michalczuk
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Royal Holloway University
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 1 months, 3 days
Research summary
Whilst, as reflected on the government guidelines for psychosis (NICE, 2014) there are good effective treatments available, there is a need to strengthen the evidence base for CBTp (Jauhar et al., 2014) as not everyone benefits from it.
Anxiety is thought to be a key factor in the development of both obsessive-compulsive-disorder (OCD) (where people perform certain routines repeatedly, or have certain thoughts repeatedly. People are unable to control either the thoughts or the activities) and psychosis (when you hear voices).
Advances in treatments have taken the approach of developing and testing modules/treatment components so that it allows individualising treatments.
These studies hope to gain understanding of anxiety and how it may drive distress and symptoms. A key process in the maintenance of OCD is a heightened sense of responsibility (people believe they have the power to bring about or prevent negative outcomes). We know that by treating responsibility beliefs using Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), this reduces a person’s conviction in that belief, compulsions and distress.
Research has demonstrated people with psychosis consistently reporting higher levels of responsibility than non-clinical, anxious and people with OCD, where this sense of responsibility has been demonstrated as a driving force of distress and repetitive behaviour. In parallel, higher sense of responsibility in people who experience voices has been associated with greater distress, severity of symptoms and safety behaviours (actions performed to stop or ameliorate a feared catastrophe).
We now think that by targeting responsibility beliefs in people who hear voices, this will also reduce some of their symptoms of psychosis and the distress that they feel. This study will recruit nine participants who are already undertaking the NICE recommended treatment CBT for psychosis and add two sessions focused on reducing responsibility beliefs (using the same techniques that are used in CBT for OCD)REC name
London - South East Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/LO/1030
Date of REC Opinion
22 Jun 2016
REC opinion
Unfavourable Opinion