Do you hear voices or have other unusual experiences that worry you? Have you decided not to take antipsychotic medication for these problems? Do you live in or near Manchester or Newcastle (UK)?
What is this study about? If you answered ‘yes’ to the questions above you may be interested in taking part in our research study. Our study is trying to find out if a talking therapy (CBT) can be useful for people who are distressed by experiences such as hearing voices or fears of being harmed but have decided not to take antipsychotic medication for at least 6 months. |
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Are your experiences causing you distress? Experiences like hearing voices or having very strong beliefs about being harmed by others can be distressing. Many people (including health workers and service users) use the term ‘psychosis’ when talking about them. But many other people don’t agree that ‘psychosis’ is the right term to use. For example, some people who hear voices prefer to describe them in a religious or spiritual way instead (see the Hearing Voices Network for more information on other ways to make sense of hearing voices). However if these experiences are causing you distress and you want help to reduce this then you may wish to consider taking part in our study. What is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)? CBT is designed to help people think about their problems in way that causes them much less distress. CBT can also help people learn new ways of coping with their problems, which can reduce how often they happen and for how long. It also tries to help people understand their experiences better. It can help people begin to see their problems as an understandable and normal response to distressing life events.
CBT has been shown to be helpful for anxiety, depression, panic attacks and many other problems. The National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE; www.nice.org.uk) currently recommends CBT for the treatment of anxiety, depression and psychosis.
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