BMJ  2006;333:353 (12 August), doi:10.1136/bmj.333.7563.353-a

Letter

What works in schizophrenia

Cognitive behaviour therapy is not effective

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

EDITOR—Kingdon's statement that more than 20 randomised controlled trials and five meta-analyses have shown cognitive behaviour therapy to be beneficial in schizophrenia gives an oversimplified picture of both the randomised controlled trials and the meta-analyses.¹ Reviewing the randomised controlled trials, Tarrier and Wykes, two supporters of cognitive behaviour therapy in schizophrenia, noted that five included groups who received befriending, supportive counselling, or problem solving to control for the non-specific effects of intervention, in other words as a psychological placebo.² They said that not one study has shown clear and significant overall differences between cognitive behaviour therapy and the non-specific control groups.³

The conclusion of the Cochrane Collaboration's meta-analysis of cognitive behaviour therapy for schizophrenia was currently that trial based data supporting the wide use of such treatment for people with schizophrenia or other psychotic illnesses are far from conclusive.³ Compared with standard care, cognitive behaviour therapy was found . . . [Full text of this article]

University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 0XH peter.mckenna@virgin.net

CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?

Relevant Article

Psychological and social interventions for schizophrenia

David Kingdon
BMJ 2006 333: 212-213. [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]