Comparaison of Avatar Therapy to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in Schizophrenia With Treatment Refractory Hallucinations (Phase3)
Auditory Hallucination, Verbal, Treatment-resistant Schizophrenia
About this trial
This is an interventional treatment trial for Auditory Hallucination, Verbal focused on measuring Auditory verbal hallucinations, Schizophrenia, Treatment-resistant, Psychotherapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Avatar Therapy, Virtual reality
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:
- DSM-5 diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder
- Distressing auditory verbal hallucinations
- Did not respond to 2 antipsychotic trials
- Stable doses of medication during the last 2 months prior to enrollment
Exclusion Criteria:
- Substance use disorder within the last 12 months
- Neurological disorder
- Intellectual disability
- Unstable and serious physical illnesses
- Experiencing an acute psychotic episode
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for psychosis within the last 12 months
Sites / Locations
- Centre de recherche de l'Institut universitaire en santé mentale de MontréalRecruiting
Arms of the Study
Arm 1
Arm 2
Experimental
Active Comparator
Avatar Therapy
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Participants will be offered 9 individual and weekly sessions of 1 hour, which will be administered in an individual format by a licensed psychologist or psychiatrist experienced with psychosis patients. The therapy will consist in prompting participants to enter in a dialogue with their persecutor to better regulate their emotional responses. Over the course of the therapy, the avatar's speech and tone will gradually be changed by the therapist to echo participants' improved ability to regulate their emotions. That is, the avatar will progressively change from being abusive to becoming helpful and supportive. By doing so, the therapy will seek to reinforce participants' feeling of empowerment over their voices.
Participants will be offered 9 individual and weekly sessions of 1 hour, which will be administered in an individual format by a licensed psychologist or psychiatrist trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for psychosis (CBTp). The program is derived and adapted from current evidence-based treatments for hallucinations. The 9 CBTp sessions will consist of a succession of learning modules and suggested task assignments.