Talking With Voices
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A feasibility and acceptability study of the Talking With Voices intervention amongst adults with psychosis
IRAS ID
234657
Contact name
Eleanor Longden
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 11 months, 30 days
Research summary
Schizophrenia, a form of psychosis, is a considerable challenge for the NHS which is estimated to cost the UK £11.8 billion a year. Drugs are currently the main treatment and some patients are offered a talking therapy known as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). However, not everyone finds these approaches helpful. It is also known that negative life events, like childhood abuse, significantly increase the risk of developing symptoms of schizophrenia. This means there is a need for safe, effective treatments that can support people with this diagnosis to cope with the emotional impact of trauma.
Hearing voices that no one else can hear is one symptom of schizophrenia that is strongly linked with traumatic events (for example, what the voices say can often reflect real-life negative experiences). This research will test a therapy for supporting people who hear distressing voices called Talking With Voices (TwV). It involves a therapist ‘speaking’ to the voice by asking it questions. The voice-hearer then listens to the responses and repeats them out loud to the therapist. Over time the therapist learns more about the voice(s) in order to support the voice(s) and voice-hearer to develop a more peaceful, positive relationship. It is hoped that TwV could eventually help people feel more in control and less distressed by their voices. However, while there are strong theoretical grounds for believing that this would be the case, there is currently no evidence for using TwV within the NHS and it is unclear if it would be feasible to run a large clinical trial or what sort of questions would need to be asked to know whether it had been successful. This project will therefore conduct a small trial to discover whether a larger study could be run in the future.
REC name
North West - Preston Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/NW/0633
Date of REC Opinion
7 Nov 2017
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion