Predictors of distress associated with psychotic‐like anomalous experiences in clinical and non‐clinical populations

Brett, Caroline; Heriot‐Maitland, Charles; McGuire, Philip; Peters, Emmanuelle

doi:10.1111/bjc.12036

Cited by 83 publications

(89 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…The account of delusions arising from changes in subjective experience is also used to explain an association of hearing loss and psychotic experiences [76], which was tested in one of the first experimental studies of paranoia [77]. The appraisals of the anomalous experiences contribute to the level of distress caused [78, 79]. …”

Section: Anomalous Internal Experiencesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Advances in understanding and treating persecutory delusions: a review

Freeman

Garety

2014

Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol

312

261

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PurposePersecutory delusions are a central psychotic experience, at the severe end of a paranoia spectrum in the general population. The aim of the review is to provide an introduction to the understanding of persecutory delusions, highlight key putative causal factors that have the potential to be translated into efficacious treatment, and indicate future research directions.MethodsA narrative literature review was undertaken to highlight the main recent areas of empirical study concerning non-clinical and clinical paranoia.ResultsSix main proximal causal factors are identified: a worry thinking style, negative beliefs about the self, interpersonal sensitivity, sleep disturbance, anomalous internal experience, and reasoning biases. Each has plausible mechanistic links to the occurrence of paranoia. These causal factors may be influenced by a number of social circumstances, including adverse events, illicit drug use, and urban environments.ConclusionsThere have been numerous replicated empirical findings leading to a significant advance in the understanding of persecutory delusions, now beginning to be translated into cognitive treatments. The first trials specifically focussed on patients who have persecutory delusions in the context of psychotic diagnoses are occurring. Initial evidence of efficacy is very promising.

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Section: Anomalous Internal Experiencesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Advances in understanding and treating persecutory delusions: a review

Freeman

Garety

2014

Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol

312

261

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“…Individuals with schizophrenia spectrum disorders appraised their experiences as more negative, more dangerous, more likely to be external and personally caused, and made more paranoid/conspiracy interpretations than non-diagnosed controls. Several subsequent studies (25, 26) have further elucidated, which AANEX appraisals distinguish clinical from “at risk” and healthy samples, and which predict greater distress. Assessment of appraisal of PLEs during sensory deprivation has not been described and is novel to this study.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Psychotic-Like Experiences and Their Cognitive Appraisal Under Short-Term Sensory Deprivation

2014

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Aims: This study aimed to establish and compare the effects of brief sensory deprivation on individuals differing in trait hallucination proneness.Method: Eighteen participants selected for high hallucination proneness were compared against 18 participants rating low on this trait. The presence of psychotic-like experiences (PLEs), and participants’ cognitive appraisals of these, was evaluated in three different settings: at baseline, in a “secluded office” environment, and in light-and-sound sensory deprivation.Results: Psychotic-like experiences were experienced significantly more often in sensory deprivation for both groups. In particular, both experienced slight increases in perceptual distortions and anhedonia in seclusion, and these increased further during sensory deprivation. Highly hallucination prone individuals showed a significantly greater increase in perceptual distortions in sensory deprivation than did non-prone individuals suggesting a state-trait interaction. Their appraisals of these anomalous experiences were compared to both clinical and non-clinical individuals experiencing psychotic symptoms in everyday life.Conclusion: Short-term sensory deprivation is a potentially useful paradigm to model psychotic experiences, as it is a non-pharmacological tool for temporarily inducing psychotic-like states and is entirely safe at short duration. Experiences occur more frequently, though not exclusively, in those at putative risk of a psychotic disorder. The appraisals of anomalous experiences arising are largely consistent with previous observations of non-clinical individuals though importantly lacked the general positivity of the latter.

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“…The provision of normalizing information, such as the common frequency of paranoid thoughts (Freeman et al, 2005) and information about famous people who are known to experience paranoia, may help to promote more accepting appraisals of paranoia. As well as reducing distress due to stigma and shame, the acceptance of symptoms may also lessen the need to either engage with or control the experience (Brett et al, 2014).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Beliefs about Paranoia Scale: Confirmatory factor analysis and tests of a metacognitive model of paranoia in a clinical sample

Murphy

Tully

Pyle

et al. 2017

Psychiatry Research

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This study aimed to confirm the factor structure of the Beliefs about Paranoia Scale (BaPS), a self-report measure to assess metacognitive beliefs about paranoia, and to test hypotheses of a metacognitive model. We hypothesised that positive and negative beliefs about paranoia would be associated with severity of suspiciousness, and that the cooccurrence of positive and negative beliefs would be associated with increased suspiciousness. A total of 335 patients meeting criteria for a schizophrenia spectrum disorder completed the BaPS, the Positive and Negative Syndromes Scale (PANSS), and the Psychotic Symptom Rating Scales (PSYRATS). Confirmatory factor analysis verified that the three BaPS subscales (negative beliefs about paranoia, paranoia as a survival strategy, and normalizing beliefs) were an adequate fit of the data. Ordinal regression showed that positive beliefs about paranoia as a survival strategy and negative beliefs were both associated with severity of suspiciousness. This was the first study to show that the cooccurrence of positive and negative beliefs was associated with increased suspiciousness.All hypotheses were confirmed, suggesting that a metacognitive approach has utility for the conceptualization of paranoia. Clinical implications suggest a role for metacognitive therapy, including strategies such as detached mindfulness and worry postponement.

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Predictors of distress associated with psychotic‐like anomalous experiences in clinical and non‐clinical populations

Abstract: While psychotic-like experiences themselves are not necessarily distressing, appraisals and responses to anomalies do predict distress, as do factors relating to the social context. This adds support to the cognitive-behavioural models, and continuum models, of positive psychotic symptoms.

Cited by 83 publications

References 48 publications

Advances in understanding and treating persecutory delusions: a review

Advances in understanding and treating persecutory delusions: a review

Psychotic-Like Experiences and Their Cognitive Appraisal Under Short-Term Sensory Deprivation

The Beliefs about Paranoia Scale: Confirmatory factor analysis and tests of a metacognitive model of paranoia in a clinical sample

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