By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.
“Compared to other strategies, mindfulness-based training does not see thoughts as either distorted or rational, and does not aim to change or modify emotions and thoughts. Hence the focus not on content but on the relationship with voices. „the utility of mindfulness
-based techniques lies at the intersection between distress and how the individual interacts with this distress.” – Kate Spiegelhalter
Psychoses are mental health problems that cause people to perceive or interpret things differently from those around them. This might involve hallucinations; seeing and, in some cases, feeling, smelling or tasting things that aren’t there, or delusions; unshakable beliefs that, when examined rationally, are obviously untrue. The combination of hallucinations and delusional thinking can often severely disrupt perception, thinking, emotion, and behavior, making it difficult if not impossible to function in society without treatment.
Schizophrenia is the most common form of psychosis. It effects about 1% of the population worldwide. It appears to be highly heritable and involves changes in the brain. The symptoms usually do not appear until late adolescence or early adulthood. Psychotic disorders are very difficult to treat with psychotherapy and are usually treated with antipsychotic drugs. These drugs, however, are not always effective, sometimes lose effectiveness, and can have some difficult side effects. Hence, there is a need for safe and effective alternative treatments for psychotic disorders.
Mindfulness training has been shown to be beneficial for a variety of mental health problems, including anxiety, depression, Antisocial Personality Disorder, Borderline personality disorder, impulsivity, obsessive compulsive disorder, phobias, post-traumatic stress disorder, sexual dysfunction, and suicidality. It also appears to be helpful with psychosis. In today’s Research News article “Mindfulness- and Acceptance-based Interventions for Psychosis: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.” See:
or below or view the full text of the study at:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4756771/
Cramer and colleagues perform a formal summarization (meta-analysis) of the published research studies on the effects on psychoses of mindfulness and acceptance based therapies, which employ mindfulness training.
They found that mindfulness therapies reduced total psychotic symptoms, including the positive symptoms of psychoses, hallucinations, delusions, etc. but did not affect the negative symptoms, loss of interest, flat emotions, etc. The effects appear to be still present as long as a year later. They also saw a reduction in the need for hospitalization. Hence, it appears that mindfulness and acceptance based therapies are effective for treating psychoses. SO, psychoses can be added to the long list of mental health issues helped by mindfulness training.
It should be noted, however, that the magnitude of the results were moderate and far from a cure. The mindfulness and acceptance based therapies simply helped to reduce some of the symptoms of psychoses. They should be seen then as a potential component in a package of treatments, which in combination, may markedly improve psychoses.
So, improve psychosis with mindfulness.
“The core skill to be learned is how to step out of automatic responses to distressing thoughts, images and voices by recognising the negative judgements and ruminative thinking which accompany these experiences and adopting a perspective of mindful awareness.” – Andy Phee
CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies
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Study Summary
Cramer, H., Lauche, R., Haller, H., Langhorst, J., & Dobos, G. (2016). Mindfulness- and Acceptance-based Interventions for Psychosis: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Global Advances in Health and Medicine, 5(1), 30–43. http://doi.org/10.7453/gahmj.2015.083
Abstract
Background: Mindfulness- and acceptance-based interventions are increasingly studied as a potential treatment for a variety of mental conditions.
Objective: To assess the effects of mindfulness- and acceptance-based interventions on psychotic symptoms and hospitalization in patients with psychosis
Methods: MEDLINE/PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and PsycINFO were screened from inception through April 2015. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were analyzed when they assessed psychotic symptoms or hospitalization in patients with psychosis; affect, acceptance, mindfulness, and safety were defined as secondary outcomes.
Results: Eight RCTs with a total of 434 patients comparing mindfulness-based (4 RCTs) or acceptance-based interventions (4 RCTs) to treatment as usual or attention control were included. Six RCTs had low risk of bias. Moderate evidence was found for short-term effects on total psychotic symptoms, positive symptoms, hospitalization rates, duration of hospitalization, and mindfulness and for long-term effects on total psychotic symptoms and duration of hospitalization. No evidence was found for effects on negative symptoms, affect, or acceptance. No serious adverse events were reported.
Conclusion: Mindfulness- and acceptance-based interventions can be recommended as an additional treatment for patients with psychosis.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4756771/