A pilot study on psychological interventions with Chinese young adults with schizophrenia

Abstract

Objectives: To investigate the functional and clinical status of a group of Chinese schizophrenic patients after treatment with individually tailored psychological treatment over a 9-month period. Patients and Methods: Thirty six 15- to 32-year-old Chinese schizophrenic patients were recruited into the study from 2001 to 2002. The patients were randomly assigned into treatment and waitlist groups. At baseline their pre-treatment clinical status, social functioning, and other clinically relevant parameters were assessed. The psychological treatments were conducted by 2 experienced clinical psychologists and assessed by face-to-face interviews. Results: After the treatment period, outcome measures supported the use of adjuvant psychotherapy in the routine treatment programme for subjects with schizophrenia; both positive and negative symptoms improved compared to baseline status (p < 0.001). Conclusions: The findings support the use of psychotherapeutic interventions to promote better adaptation to the psychotic disorder. © 2007 Hong Kong College of Psychiatrists.