CBT could benefit patients with schizophrenia who do not take medication, research says

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) could be used to reduce psychotic symptoms and improve functioning in patients with schizophrenia who cannot or do not want to take antipsychotic drug treatment, says a study published in the Lancet.1

Combining CBT with antipsychotic drugs is known to help people with schizophrenia, and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has recommended that all patients with schizophrenia should be offered CBT and not just drug therapy.2 However, the feasibility and effectiveness of using CBT in people with schizophrenia who are not taking medication have not been previously tested.

The UK researchers randomised a group of 74 patients …