Purpose-This paper seeks to extend the focus of positive psychology research to individuals with severe mental illness (SMI) to address an aspect of social exclusion experienced by this disadvantaged client group. Design/methodology/approach-The article summarises and builds on the outcomes of an earlier subjective wellbeing in psychosis study and arrives at original implications to challenge socially exclusive assumptions about limited emotional capabilities of those with SMI. The authors make suggestions for enhancing the wellbeing of people with SMI from the perspective of social inclusion. Data were gathered through validated self-report rating scales and analysed statistically. Findings-The levels of subjective wellbeing within the sample were shown to approximate those established in the general population. Depression was demonstrated to mediate the effects that the experience of psychosis had on participants' life satisfaction. Psychosis did not appear to prevent individuals from experiencing happiness, although when associated with depression, life satisfaction was lowered. Research limitations/implications- Because of the focus on subjective aspects of wellbeing, external indicators of objective quality of life were not explored. Individual appraisals of experiences of psychosis were not investigated. Originality/value-The study demonstrates that individuals with psychosis are capable of experiencing happiness. Thus, it challenges an aspect of a widespread socially exclusive assumption about limited internal capabilities of those with SMI. It also highlights that those with combined symptoms of psychosis and depression are in particular need of multidisciplinary support to enhance their wellbeing. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited. All rights reserved

A correlational study examined the suppositions of Headey and Wearing's fourdimension model of subjective wellbeing (SWB) and psychological distress amongst people experiencing psychosis. The research objective was to replicate the model with the studied sample and to examine how emotional distress resulting from psychosis affects the individuals' satisfaction with life and positive affect levels. Forty-seven individuals with a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia completed self-report measures of psychoticism, paranoid ideation, depression and anxiety (Brief Symptom Inventory), positive affect (Affect Balance Scale), and life satisfaction (Satisfaction With Life Scale). Correlational patterns of the four-dimension model were replicated with individuals experiencing psychosis. Although the levels of depression and anxiety were clearly elevated in comparison with general population norms, the levels of positive affect remained similar to those in the general population, and the average life satisfaction appeared only slightly decreased. Depression was found to act as a dominant mediator between the severity of experiences of psychosis and satisfaction with life. Possible explanations for the findings are proposed and implications from the positive clinical psychology perspective are suggested. Based on the study outcomes it is argued that: (1) psychosis does not equal unhappiness, (2) psychosis does not immobilize adaptive mechanisms of SWB, (3) psychosis does not exempt individuals from positive mood set-points, and (4) psychosis does not indiscriminately lower life satisfaction.

The prevalence of diagnostic comorbidity between psychosis and anxiety disorders has been found to be considerable. Cognitive models of psychosis suggest that anxiety does not arise directly from positive symptoms of schizophrenia but rather from an individual interpretation of such experiences. In the United Kingdom, cognitive-behavioural therapy for psychosis (CBTp) has been recommended within clinical guidelines as a psychological treatment of choice for those diagnosed with schizophrenia. However, despite empirical evidence supporting CBTp, the treatment provision remains infrequent and not routinely available. This case describes a successful implementation of CBTp. Sixteen sessions were delivered to a 40-year-old male with diagnoses of paranoid schizophrenia and comorbid anxiety, focusing primarily on cognitive restructuring of paranoid appraisals of auditory hallucinations and behavioural experiments employed progressively via graded exposure to anxiety-inducing stimuli. Standardised measurements, behavioural frequency sampling, and subjective data indicated a considerable reduction in both paranoia and anxiety. Also, the client's psychosocial functioning improved substantially. This report indicates that the treatment may help those with experiences of psychosis and comorbid anxiety reach a significant improvement in their quality of life and offers an encouraging and innovative perspective on direct engagement with the content of paranoia and voices at the onset of therapy.