Effectiveness of Group Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Individuals Experiencing Auditory Hallucinations

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Critical Review

Summary

This paper reviews two studies on the effectiveness of group cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for individuals experiencing auditory hallucinations. The first study (Newton, Larkin, Melhuish, & Wykes, 2007) aims to elicit the positive and negative aspects of group CBT treatment by listening to the perspectives of young people undergoing such treatment. The second study (Penn et al. 2009) seeks to evaluate the effectiveness of group CBT for auditory hallucinations compared to an active control group of enhanced supportive therapy (ST).

For the first study eight participants aged 17 -18 years old who had attended every session of the 7-week group CBT programme were interviewed. In the second study 65 participants between the ages of 18 and 65 who were diagnosed with schizophrenia spectrum disorders were assigned to either group CBT or enhanced group ST in this RCT. The two studies used different methodological approaches: in the first study, semi-structured interviews and IPA (Smith, 2003) were used to explore experiential accounts of participants within context; in the second study quantifiable primary outcomes and secondary outcomes were measured. The outcomes in the second study were evaluated longitudinally at 3 month and 12 month follow-ups.

In the first study, two superordinate themes emerged: 1) Experiential features of participants’ accounts of group CBT; 2) an interpretation of a cycle involving: a) the content of the hallucinated voices b) the participants’ explanations for, and c) reactions to these voices and d) their ability to cope with them. Conclusions drawn by the researchers of the first study include that group CBT was valued positively by participants. The second study concludes that...

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.... European Neuropsychopharmacology, 19, (12), 835-840.

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Wykes, T., Steel, C., Everitt, B. & Tarrier, N., (2008). Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Schizophrenia: Effect Sizes, Clinical Models, and Methodological Rigor. Schizophrenia. Bulletin, 34, 523–537.

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