Group cognitive behavioural therapy for psychosis in the Asian context: a review of the recent studies

Abstract

The cardinal symptoms of psychosis include hallucination and delusion, which can be both distressing and disabling. International guidelines recommend cognitive behavioural therapy for psychosis (CBTp) as an adjunctive intervention to medication management. Considering the difficulty in the widespread dissemination of the individual CBTp, group CBTp is an alternative in improving patients’ access to psychological intervention. Although it has been found feasible and effective in various studies, systematic review on group CBTp, particularly in Asia, was not identified. Hence, this systematic review tried to examine the recent evidence of group CBTp in Asia in order to shed light on its implementation in routine psychiatric care. A relevant literature search was conducted in three databases (Pubmed, Web of Knowledge, and PsycINFO) during the period from January 2000 to December 2018. A total of 114 journal articles were identified. After a full-text review, four studies met our inclusion and exclusion criteria. Despite methodological shortcomings, positive results were found in terms of improvements on psychotic symptoms, functioning, and quality-of-life. These encouraging results indicate the need for future research studies with more rigorous methodology, leading to a better understanding on the applicability and effectiveness of group CBTp in the Asian context.