Talking therapies
Non-medication choices
Besides taking medication, there are lots of additional therapies to help you achieve balance, manage symptoms, overcome distress and move towards recovery.
Talking therapy choices
Talking therapy provides support in the treatment of mental illness by talking to sympathetic, knowledgeable people with experience in particular areas of mental health. Such individuals may be professional experts or lay people working within support groups.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
A recent development in the treatment of schizophrenia, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) was originally developed in the 1970s for the treatment of depression. In the treatment and management of schizophrenia, the many different types of CBT have all generally attempted to 'modify psychotic experiences and symptoms, or their effects upon a person's thoughts, feelings and behaviour'1.
CBT encourages patients to establish links between their thoughts, feelings or actions with respect to the current or past symptoms. CBT may be helpful if you are having trouble accepting that you have schizophrenia and may help if you tend not to take your medications properly2.
Useful websites
BABCP
British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies
http://www.babcp.com
Your doctor may be able to refer you to these services.
Family work
Talking therapies can be useful not only for the service user themselves, but also for their family and/or carers. This can either be done with the service user (which tends to be more effective), or in separate therapy sessions, and also either as a group of families or, if preferred, a single family. Family work can help those affected by schizophrenia other than the service user, may also lessen the chances of further breakdown. It can also be useful in patients whose symptoms persist after a breakdown, or where there is a risk of a breakdown because of, perhaps, recent difficult circumstances2.
CBT and family work probably wont stop breakdowns altogether but they may be able to help them happen less often2.
References
1. National Institute for Clinical Excellence. Schizophrenia: Full national clinical guideline on core interventions in primary and secondary care. 2003
2. National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE): Treating and managing schizophrenia (core interventions). Understanding NICE guidance - information for people with schizophrenia, their advocates and carers, and the public, Dec 2002
