Cognitive therapy for persistent psychosis in schizophrenia: a case-controlled clinical trial

The results of an open label controlled outcome study are presented, comparing Cognitive Therapy with a treatment-as-usual group. Independent raters assessed symptom severity and psychosocial functioning at baseline, and again at 6 months. Improvements were found for Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) patients in Clinical Global Impression for Improvement (CGI; p<0.03), Global Psychosocial Functioning (p<0.001), the Global Assessment Scale (GAS) ratings (p<0.013), overall symptoms (p<0.049), and delusions (p<0.029). A trend toward significance was found for reductions in negative symptoms (p<0.06). The results suggest the potential utility of cognitive therapy as a companion therapy for schizophrenia in the United States. Limitations of the study include small sample sizes, lack of randomized assignment, and rater nonblindedness to treatment condition.