Well-trained, competent therapists are crucial for safe and effective psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT). The question whether PAT training programs should require aspiring therapists to undergo their own PAT-commonly referred to as "experiential training"-has received much attention within the field. In this article, we analyze the potential benefits of experiential training in PAT by applying the framework developed by Rolf Sandell et al.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSchizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSDs) are associated with significant functional impairments, disability, and low rates of personal recovery, along with tremendous economic costs linked primarily to lost productivity and premature mortality. Efforts to delineate the contributors to disability in SSDs have highlighted prominent roles for a diverse range of symptoms, physical health conditions, substance use disorders, neurobiological changes, and social factors. These findings have provided valuable advances in knowledge and helped define broad patterns of illness and outcomes across SSDs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAim: Approximately 50% of individuals with first-episode psychosis meet criteria for a substance use disorder and these concurrent disorders are associated with worse long-term outcomes. Psychosocial interventions, including motivational interviewing as well as cognitive and behavioural therapies, have shown some evidence for effective treatment in substance use disorders; however, there is a paucity of existing studies that have successfully examined these interventions in first-episode psychosis.
Methods: Participants (n = 64) received the concurrent disorders intervention, which included individual support alongside participation in at least one of two groups: a 4-week Motivational Engagement group utilizing motivational interviewing (n = 59) and an 8-week Relapse Prevention Training group emphasizing skill acquisition, which some participants entered directly (n = 5) and some participants entered following completion of the Motivational Engagement group (n = 16).
This randomized trial examined the relative effectiveness of primarily compensatory and primarily restorative cognitive interventions in an early psychosis population. A total of 56 patients were randomized to one of two treatments which were applied for four months with a five month follow up assessment. Comparisons were between (1) Cognitive Adaptation Training (CAT) - a treatment that uses environmental supports and weekly home visits to compensate for cognitive challenges and improve community functioning and (2) Action Based Cognitive Remediation (ABCR) - a treatment involving computerized cognitive drill and practice exercises, simulations, goal setting, and behavioral activation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCross-sectional studies of the effects of cannabis on cognition in schizophrenia have produced mixed results. Heavy and persistent cannabis use in schizophrenia is a common clinical problem, and effects of controlled abstinence from cannabis in these patients have not been carefully evaluated. The present study sought to determine the effects of cannabis abstinence on cognition in patients with schizophrenia and co-occurring cannabis dependence.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground And Objective: Complete tobacco bans in mental health facilities are thought to have the potential for adverse consequences. We evaluated staff and patient attitudes and adverse events associated with implementing Canada's largest, multi-site academic psychiatric hospital tobacco ban.
Methods: A total of 1,173 staff and 422 patients completed an anonymous attitudes survey at prior to implementation (baseline), and 4-6 months and 10-12 months post-implementation.
Early Interv Psychiatry
October 2018
Aim: To conduct a preliminary feasibility examination of cognitive-behavioural social skills training (CBSST) in a first-episode psychosis population.
Methods: Twenty two first-episode psychosis clients participated in an 18-week CBSST group adapted for a younger population.
Results: Adaptive functioning significantly improved following group participation and was maintained at 3-month follow-up.
Objective: There is a paucity of accessible, evidence-based tools for caregivers of individuals with schizophrenia. This study examines changes in the self-assessed and caregiver-assessed outcomes of people with schizophrenia after exposure to a cognitive adaptation training (CAT) guide that addressed pragmatic, in-home approaches to offset the cognitive impacts of the illness.
Method: This study examined the 4-month, pre-post outcomes of a CAT guide, as compared with a popular, general manual, for families of individuals with schizophrenia.
Cognitive remediation (CR) has demonstrated good outcomes when paired with supported employment, however little is known about its effectiveness when integrated into a supported education program. This randomized controlled trial examined the effectiveness of integrating CR within a supported education program compared with supported education without CR. Thirty-seven students with psychosis were recruited into the study in the 2012 academic year.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCognitive adaptation training (CAT) is a home-based, manualized treatment that utilizes environmental supports to improve target behaviors and functional outcomes in persons with schizophrenia. Although clinical trials have shown CAT to be effective across functional, clinical, and treatment adherence domains, when the intervention is withdrawn clients experience significant declines. The aim of the current study was to test a modified version of CAT, which decreases the duration of intensive CAT intervention while utilizing ongoing case management-supported CAT to maintain the fundamental components of the treatment.
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