Application of cognitive-behavioral therapy techniques as the method of early intervention in the therapy of psychotic disorders

Abstract

Psychotic disorders occupy an essential place in the structure of general morbidity of the population, affect quality and life expectancy, reduce working capacity and often cause disability. Psychotic symptoms cause significant distress in patients and lead to alterations in important spheres of life, such as social functioning, and could be the cause of suicidal or socially dangerous behavior. According to the World Health Organization, schizophrenia affects about 21 million people, worldwide. The onset of the disease occurs in adolescents and early adulthood, with a range of 15-29 years. The present paper aims to investigate the features of the use of cognitive-behavioral therapy techniques and their effectiveness in the treatment of early stages of psychosis. This study presents already existing systemic literature reviews and meta-analyses on the topic of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) of psychotic disorders, namely devoted to CBT of the first psychotic episode. Besides, it examines the effectiveness of the use of CBT not only in the prodromal stage of psychosis and during its manifestation, as well as in the remission period as a method for preventing recurrence. According to the data, CBT is a useful and scientifically based method in the combined therapy of patients in the early stages of the course of psychotic illness. CBT early interventions reduce positive and negative symptoms severity, improve access to engagement with treatment, which also reduces hospital admission and relapse rates.