KEYNOTE ABSTRACTS

Douglas Turkington, University of Newcastle, UK
with Sara Tai, University of Manchester, UK

CBT for patients with psychosis who refuse antipsychotic medication: Does the use of metacognitive techniques improve outcome?

In a pilot study of CBT for schizophrenia spectrum disorder therapists were able to deliver classical CBT for psychosis from the KIngdon and Turkington (2005) manual or to use an enriched form of CBT based on the Morrison manual (2002)with metacognitive strategies. These techniques were developed by Wells (2009) for the treatment of anxiety and depression but had never been piloted in psychosis. In particular worry postponement, detached mindfulness and attention training were used in the Manchester site but not in the Newcastle/ Durham site. The use of metacognitive strategies in medication free psychotic patients is fully described using case vignettes and a site analysis will show whether metacognitive techniques add benefit in terms of retention in therapy, symptomatic outcome, social recovery or achieving a good clinical outcome as defined by a 25% improvement in the PANSS total score at end of therapy. The most useful metacognitive technique with psychotic patients will be identified.