Cognitive Behavioral Social Skills Training for Patients With Late-Life Schizophrenia: a Pilot Study (CBSST)
Schizophrenia
About this trial
This is an interventional treatment trial for Schizophrenia focused on measuring Late-life schizophrenia (LLS), Cognitive Behavioural Social Skills Training (CBSST), Randomized
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:
- Age 60 years and above.
- All races and ethnicities.
- Females and males.
- Meets DSM-IV TR criteria for a current diagnosis of schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, schizophreniform, delusional disorder, or psychotic disorder NOS.
- Clinically stable as operationalized by (1) having not been admitted to a psychiatric hospital within the 3 months prior to assessment, (2) having had no change in antipsychotic medication dosage within the 4 weeks prior to assessment, and (3) and ascertained to be clinically stable by one the study psychiatrists.
- Willingness and ability to speak English
- Willingness to provide informed consent
- Corrected visual ability that enables reading of newspaper headlines and corrected hearing capacity that is adequate to respond to a raised conversational voice.
Exclusion Criteria:
- Meets criteria for a cognitive disorder secondary to a neurological or other medical disorder affecting the ability to participate in CBSST.
- Diagnosis of bipolar disorder or current major depressive episode.
- Meets diagnostic criteria for substance use or dependence within the 6 months prior to the initial assessment except for caffeine or nicotine.
- Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) within 6 months of initial assessment.
Sites / Locations
- Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
Arms of the Study
Arm 1
Arm 2
Experimental
Active Comparator
CBSST plus treatment as usual
Treatment as Usual Group
Subject randomized to the CBSST Group arm will attend 2 hour weekly Cognitive Behavioural Social Skills therapy sessions for 9 months. They will also be attending follow-up assessments q 4 months.
Subjects randomized to the Treatment as Usual Group Arm will continue with their regular psychiatric treatment for 1 year. Like the CBSST Group Arm, they will have follow up assessments q 4 months. After completing the Treatment as Usual Group arm, they will automatically continue on with the CBSST Group Arm.