Psychosocial interventions in schizophrenia: Focus on guidelines

Abstract

Background: Schizophrenia is a lifelong condition with acute exacerbations and varying degrees of functional disability. Acute and long-term treatments are based on antipsychotic drugs, even if some domains of personal and social functioning are not addressed by psychopharmacotherapy. In fact, psychosocial interventions show a positive impact on patient’s functioning and clinical outcome. In addition, psychosocial interventions are significantly associated with a lower number of relapses and hospitalizations in schizophrenia. Methods: An analytical review of the International Guidelines on Psychosocial Interventions in Schizophrenia has been performed; we included the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines, the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) guidelines, the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) guidelines, the Schizophrenia Patient Outcomes Research Team (PORT) guidelines and the American Psychiatric Association (APA) guidelines. Results: The international guidelines recommend psychosocial interventions as supportive treatments alongside pharmaceutical or psychotherapeutic ones. Conclusion: More research studies need to be conducted and included in the updated version of the international guidelines to confirm the effectiveness of psychosocial interventions in the long-term outcome of schizophrenia.

Psychological Intervention in Community-Based Treatment of Schizophrenia: a Systematic Narrative Review

“…The importance of pharmacotherapy as the primary intervention accompanied by psychological and psychosocial interventions can further improve treatment success by reducing stress, increasing coping skills, reducing the risk of relapse, and increasing medication adherence. A review of various international guidelines by (Ventriglio et al, 2020) suggests that psychosocial interventions in schizophrenia can be helpful in combination with psychopharmacotherapy and psychotherapy. All of these interventions can address the unmet need for the treatment of psychosis and, in particular, enhance the psychosocial functioning of patients to enhance their longterm recovery from the disease.…”

“…There is no systematic literature review related to intervention by psychologists in the treatment of ODS. Previous systematic literature review related to ODS's psychological interventions did not examine their specific implementation in the community (De Leo & Spathonis, 2003;Gottlieb, Romeo, Penn, Mueser, & Chiko, 2013;Ventriglio et al, 2020). The study of (Novianty & Retnowati, 2016) describes psychologists' work in a mental health care community, especially its contribution to supporting the government's program in the treatment of mental health in general, but did not specific for schizophrenia case.…”

Psychosocial rehabilitation interventions in the treatment of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder

“…Weekly sessions may be challenging especially for patients with prominent negative symptoms. Therefore, flexibility may be required in the frequency and duration of sessions ( 40 ). Therapies based on cognitive behavioral approaches such as acceptance and commitment therapy ( 41 ), metacognitive training ( 42 ), mindfulness-based CBT ( 43 ), and dialectical behavior therapy ( 44 ) have also been found useful.…”

“…Resources for OAT need to be provided by clinics in a routine manner. It is argued that there is a need for further studies to determine what therapies in this area are effective on what symptoms or functioning areas and what their cost-beneficence would be ( 40 ).…”

Training Coping Skills and Coping With Stress Self-Efficacy for Successful Daily Functioning and Improved Clinical Status in Patients With Psychosis: A Randomized Controlled Study

“…The According to the World Health Organization [1], more than 20 million people worldwide suffer from schizophrenia. Due to the chronicity and severity of schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSDs), their symptom diversity and pervasive function impairments (e.g., in perception, cognition, language, affect, behaviour, daily and social functioning and sense of self), recurrent relapses, elevated disability, high rates of (co)morbidity and heightened premature mortality, as well as high burden of care, antipsychotic drug therapy and psychosocial interventions such as cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) are combined for the management of the disease [2][3][4] CBT aims to improve a broad range of skills for facing symptoms and managing daily life challenges to enhance patient's mental health and overall well-being by achieving clinical improvement, enhanced daily functioning and higher quality of life. Psychosocial interventions have been shown to be clinically effective, and dropout rates are markedly lower compared to pharmacotherapy.…”