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Psychological treatment of positive schizophrenic symptoms

  • Chapter
Schizophrenia

Abstract

Despite major advances in pharmacological treatments there is considerable evidence that a significant number of sufferers of schizophrenia continue to experience psychotic symptoms, though possibly less severely than during their acute episode. For example, in a recent survey of all patients in a London psychiatric hospital Curson et al. (1988) found that just under half experienced delusions or hallucinations despite long standing and frequently ‘energetic’ pharmacological treatment. Results of community surveys indicate a similar picture. In a three-year follow-up study 47% of patients continued to experience psychotic symptoms (Harrow and Silverstein, 1977; Silverstein and Harrow, 1978) and in a seven-year follow-up study 23% of patients were found to have florid symptoms (Curson et al., 1985). Besides being extremely distressing in themselves and a frequent cause of anxiety and depression (Breier and Strauss, 1983; Tarrier, 1987), persistent symptoms also contribute to more general disabilities and handicaps (Falloon, 1986). There is also a high risk of suicide amongst patients experiencing persistent symptoms (Falloon and Talbot, 1981).

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Note

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  1. Nicholas Tarrier
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Sydney, Australia

    David J. Kavanagh Dip.Psychol. PhD (Senior Lecturer in Psychology) (Senior Lecturer in Psychology)

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Tarrier, N. (1992). Psychological treatment of positive schizophrenic symptoms. In: Kavanagh, D.J. (eds) Schizophrenia. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-4457-3_24

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-4457-3_24

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