John Farhall

From long-stay psychiatric hospital to Community Care Unit: evaluation at 1 year

Background: In the context of deinstitutionalisation of psychiatric services, Community Care Units (CCUs) were developed to provide accommodation, clinical care and rehabilitation for patients discharged from the long-stay open wards of a large psychiatric hospital that was in the process of closing. CCUs are 20-bed units built in suburban locations and staffed on a 24-h basis by multidisciplinary clinical teams. Method: An initial group of 125 hospital patients was assessed at 1 month pre-move, 1 month post-move, and again at 1 year, on range of measures covering clinical status, personal functioning, quality of life, residential preferences, aggressive behaviour, and social networks. Staff attitudes, relative and carer perceptions and preferences, and residential environments were also assessed. Results: Most of the transferred patients were still resident in their CCU at 1 year. The clearest result was that patients showed improved quality of life in relation to their living environment. Comparison of the hospital and CCU environments showed that the latter were significantly less restrictive and regimented. Most relatives and carers also preferred the CCU. On average, symptom and disability levels were little changed at 1 year. Conclusions: Our results suggest that the CCU is an appropriate form of service delivery for most long-stay hospital inpatients, but that both more and less supervised settings are also required. While symptoms and disability were little changed at 1 year, it is possible that further follow-up may detect delayed or slow changes. Given the widespread replacement of psychiatric hospitals with community-based services, the future role of the CCU needs to be reviewed.

Command Hallucinations and Violence: Implications for Detention and Treatment

Individuals who experience hallucinations that instruct them to follow specific actions (command hallucinations) often feel under a powerful obligation to carry out these actions, sometimes with devastating consequences to themselves or others. There is very little awareness among clinicians about the specific information that needs to be obtained from patients with command hallucinations (CHs) to predict the likelihood of self-harm or harm to others, or point the way to specific therapeutic interventions. We review the evidence for the association between CHs and violence and delineate the factors found to be associated with compliance with CHs. We also propose a new psychological intervention — Treatment for Resistant Command Hallucinations (TORCH). Consideration is given to the implications of this review for the mental health system and beyond.

Cognitive behavioural therapy for auditory hallucinations: effectiveness and predictors of outcome in a specialist clinic

BACKGROUND Cognitive behavioural therapy has been established as an effective treatment for residual psychotic symptoms but a substantial proportion of people do not benefit from this treatment. There has been little direct study of predictors of outcome, particularly in treatment targeting auditory hallucinations. METHOD The Psychotic Symptom Rating Scales (PSYRATS) and Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) were administered pre- and post-therapy to 33 people with schizophrenia-related disorders receiving CBT for auditory hallucinations in a specialist clinic. Outcome was compared with pre-therapy measures of insight, beliefs about the origin of hallucinations, negative symptoms and cognitive disorganization. RESULTS There were significant improvements post-treatment on the PSYRATS and PANSS Positive and General Scales. Improvement on the PSYRATS was associated with lower levels of negative symptoms, but was unrelated to overall insight, delusional conviction regarding the origins of hallucinations, or levels of cognitive disorganization. CONCLUSIONS Lack of insight and presence of formal thought disorder do not preclude effective cognitive-behavioural treatment of auditory hallucinations. There is a need to further understand why negative symptoms may present a barrier to therapy.

Life hassles, experiential avoidance and distressing delusional experiences.

Life hassles have been implicated in both the formation and maintenance of psychosis symptoms. However, little is understood about the mechanism through which these stressors impact on psychosis. The current study proposed experiential avoidance (EA), a psychological coping style that is a central focus for change in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), as a potential mediator of the link between life hassles and both the emergence and maintenance of delusional ideation. Participants were recruited to a non-clinical sample (N=133) and a clinical sample of psychosis patients (N=100). All participants completed a self-report questionnaire including a measure of delusions and delusional distress (Peters Delusions Inventory), life hassles (Survey of Recent Life Experiences) and EA (Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II). Mediation testing (bootstrapping) indicated a significant mediation effect of EA in the relationship between life hassles and both delusions and delusional distress, in both clinical and non-clinical samples. The findings suggest that individuals (irrespective of their diagnostic status) with a tendency to suppress or avoid unwanted thoughts are significantly more likely to experience distressing delusions in response to stressful life occurrences. The use of ACT and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy to reduce EA in those at risk of emerging delusions and in patients with an already established psychosis is discussed.

Acting on harmful command hallucinations in psychotic disorders: an integrative approach.

Although harmful command hallucinations have been linked to violent behavior, few studies have examined factors mediating this relationship. The principal aim of this study was to examine a range of factors potentially associated with acting on harmful command hallucinations using a multivariate approach. The sample comprised 75 participants drawn from community and forensic services. Measures assessing characteristics of the command hallucination and the hallucinator, including forensic risk factors, were administered. Using ordinal logistic regression, we found compliance to be associated with increasing age, viewing the command hallucination as positive, congruent delusions, and reporting low maternal control in childhood. Antipsychotic medication was protective while, contrary to expectations, traditional predictors of violence reduced the odds of compliance with command hallucinations viewed as threatening. The findings suggest that compliance with harmful commands is driven by a complex interaction between beliefs related to the command hallucination and personal characteristics, with risk of compliance increasing with age.

Beliefs about voices and schemas about self and others in psychosis.

BACKGROUND In people who experience auditory verbal hallucinations, beliefs the person holds about their voices appear to be clinically important as mediators of associated distress and disability. Whilst such beliefs are thought to be influenced by broader schematic representations the person holds about themselves and other people, there has been little empirical examination of this, in particular in relation to beliefs about voice intent and the personal meaning of the voice experience. METHOD Thirty-four voice hearers with a diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder completed the Psychotic Symptom Rating Scales and measures of beliefs about voices (Revised Beliefs About Voices Questionnaire, Interpretation of Voices Inventory) and schemas (Brief Core Schema Scales). RESULTS Beliefs about voices were correlated with both negative voice content and schemas. After controlling for negative voice content, schemas were estimated to predict between 9% and 35% of variance in the six beliefs about voices that were measured. Negative-self schemas were the strongest predictors, and positive-self and negative-other schemas also showed potential relationships with beliefs about voices. CONCLUSIONS Schemas, particularly those regarding the self, are potentially important in the formation of a range of clinically-relevant beliefs about voices.

Implementing psychological treatment for symptoms of psychosis in an area mental health service: The response of patients, therapists and managers

The effectiveness and acceptance of a CBT for psychosis intervention that focussed on coping enhancement for voices and delusions, was studied in routine practice in an ordinary mental health service. Twenty-two of 30 referred patients received the intervention. Acceptance by the 22 patients was high, and positive symptom ratings and GAF scores improved following therapy. Eleven of 14 area psychologists availed themselves of training and support opportunities. While uptake of cases was variable, with two therapists accounting for 79% of registered cases, 50% claimed additional limited implementation of CBT principles with non-registered patients. The 14 service managers saw the therapy as effective and considered 36% of service users to be potential candidates for CBT for psychosis. However CBT was not seen as a high service priority and psychologists were generally allocated little additional therapy time. These findings raise issues about the dissemination of innovation into routine practice including management of change and the need to investigate the efficacy of more limited implementation of treatment packages.

Neurocognitive and social cognitive predictors of cannabis use in first-episode psychosis

BACKGROUND Findings are unclear as to whether cannabis use is associated with better cognitive functioning in individuals with psychosis. OBJECTIVES To elucidate the association between cannabis use, neurocognition and social cognition in first-episode psychosis (FEP). METHODS Secondary data analysis was conducted on data from 133 FEP participants who had enrolled in a randomized controlled trial of a vocational intervention. Participants completed a neurocognitive and social cognitive battery and characteristics of cannabis use were documented (disorder, recency, frequency and dose). Principal axis factor analysis was used to determine the underlying structure of the cognitive batteries. Regression techniques were used to examine cognitive predictors of current cannabis use disorder (CUD), and recency and frequency of cannabis use. Bivariate correlations were used to examine associations between cognition and dose of cannabis consumption. RESULTS Male gender (p=.037) was the only significant predictor of having a current CUD. Better processing speed (p=.022) and social cognition (p=.039), male gender (p<.001), and fewer negative symptoms (p=.036) predicted recency of cannabis use. Faster processing speed (p=.007) and male gender (p=.006) also predicted frequency of cannabis use. No variables were significantly associated with dose of cannabis consumption. CONCLUSIONS Better social cognition and processing speed abilities predicting recency and frequency of cannabis use are consistent with cannabis users having higher cognitive abilities. A positive relationship between cannabis use and cognition may be the result of more drug taking opportunities in less cognitively impaired individuals with psychosis.

Exploring cognitive heterogeneity in first-episode psychosis: What cluster analysis can reveal

Variable outcomes in first-episode psychosis (FEP) are partly attributable to heterogeneity in cognitive functioning. To aid identification of those likely to have poorer or better outcomes, we examined whether purported cognitive profiles identified through use of cluster analysis in chronic schizophrenia were evident in FEP. We also aimed to assess whether there was a relationship between cognitive profile and factors independent of the solution, providing external validation that the cognitive profiles represented distinct subgroups. Wards method hierarchical cluster analysis, verified by a k-means cluster solution, was performed using data obtained from a cognitive test battery administered to 128 participants aged 15-25 years. Four cognitive profiles were identified. A continuity element was evident; participants in cluster four were more cognitively impaired compared to participants in cluster three, who appeared more cognitively intact. Clusters one and two were distinguishable across measures of attention and working memory and visual recognition memory, most likely reflecting sample specific patterns of deficit. Participants in cluster four had significantly lower premorbid and current IQ and higher negative symptoms compared to participants in cluster three. The distinct levels and patterns of cognition found in chronic schizophrenia cohorts are also evident across diagnostic categories in FEP.

A phenomenological investigation of overvalued ideas and delusions in clinical and subclinical anorexia nervosa

Anorexia Nervosa (AN) is an eating disorder characterised by distorted cognitions about body weight and shape; but little is known about the phenomenological characteristics of these beliefs. In this study, multidimensional and insight-based measurements were used to compare beliefs about body weight and shape in AN to body image dissatisfaction in the general population, and delusional beliefs in schizophrenia. Twenty participants with clinical and sub-clinical AN, 27 participants with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder, and 23 healthy controls completed the Brown Assessment of Beliefs Scale and the Psychotic Symptom Rating Scale in relation to a dominant belief regarding body weight/shape (or body dissatisfaction in healthy controls) or a current delusion. All groups completed the Peters Delusions Inventory to assess the prevalence of a range of delusion-like beliefs. Participants with clinical and subclinical AN experienced significantly higher preoccupation and distress for their belief in comparison to both participants with schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorder rating a delusional belief and the healthy controls rating a belief of body dissatisfaction. Both clinical groups were comparable on ratings of belief conviction and disruption. The data raise questions regarding the current frameworks that are used to describe beliefs in AN.