Insight Enhancement Program vs. Metacognitive Training for Psychosis in Patients With Schizophrenia: A Three-Armed Comparative Randomized Controlled Trial
Schizophrenia Spectrum and Other Psychotic Disorders
About this trial
This is an interventional treatment trial for Schizophrenia Spectrum and Other Psychotic Disorders focused on measuring Insight Enhancement Program, Insight Enhancement Therapy, Metacognitive Training for Psychosis, Psychotherapeutic Interventions for Schizophrenia, Research on Schizophrenia in Egypt
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:
- A diagnosis of a Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorder according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM5).
- A present or prior episode of delusional symptoms, as assessed via clinical interview.
- Within the first five years since the onset of psychosis.
- Age between 18 and 65 years.
- Egyptian Nationality.
- Fluent command of the Arabic language.
- Capacity to understand the study description and provide informed consent.
In order to examine the efficacy of IEP and MCT in cases with minor symptom load, no minimum symptom threshold was defined for inclusion.
Exclusion Criteria:
- Comorbid Substance Dependence Disorder.
- Comorbid medical conditions, whose pathology or treatment could alter the presentation or treatment of schizophrenia.
- Intellectual disability (IQ of less than 70).
- Known sensitivity to Risperidone.
- Pregnant or Breast feeding women.
- Scores of 5 or higher on the PANSS hostility item and of 6 or higher on PANSS suspiciousness item (As group settings can be disrupted by behavioral disturbances, patients with very severe forms of delusions, formal thought disorder and hostility should refrain from participating in MCT or IEP until some remission has taken place).
Sites / Locations
- Agiad Psychiatry Hospital
Arms of the Study
Arm 1
Arm 2
Arm 3
Experimental
Experimental
Active Comparator
Insight Enhancement Program (IEP)
Metacognitive Training for Psychosis (MCT)
Treatment As Usual (TAU)
The insight enhancement program is a dynamo-cognitive therapeutic modality with the main target of improving insight in psychotic patients as a means of improving their overall outcome.
The metacognitive training program, developed by Moritz et al. (Moritz & Woodward, 2007) targets cognitive biases putatively involved in the formation and maintenance of psychotic symptoms.
Treatment as usual will be used as a control condition to assure ethicality of our procedure. Medications: In order to standardize treatment, Risperidone (Risperdal ) will be used as the antipsychotic medication in all three groups with a dose up to 6-8 milligrams according to clinical severity. The same dose will be used for 1 month prior to starting interventions). In case of occurrence of mild extrapyramidal symptoms associated with high doses of risperidone, an anticholinergic drug (Benztropine) might be used.