ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: The COVID-19 pandemic led to exacerbation of mental health symptoms and deterioration in psychological well-being in individuals suffering from schizophrenia. The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on patients suffering from treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TRS) with auditory verbal hallucinations (AVH) having undergone virtual reality therapy (VRT) or cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) on their symptomatology. The secondary objective is to identify the differences and similarities in relation to the response to the COVID 19 pandemic between these two groups of patients. METHODS: Qualitative analysis of semi-structured interviews was conducted with 42 patients suffering from TRS who had previously followed VRT or CBT. All interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analysed. RESULTS: Four themes emerged in this study: Psychotherapeutic Interventions, Impact of COVID-19 and Public health and safety policies, Substance use and Psychiatric follow-up. Participants from both groups reported that their therapy was beneficial in controlling AVH. Patients having followed CBT reported more depressive symptoms whereas patients having followed VRT reported more anxious symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: This study offers a first qualitative insight in patients suffering from TRS and the impacts of COVID-19 on them and opens the door to the protective factors of CBT and VRT for this specific population.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Cognitive Behavioral Therapy , Schizophrenia , Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy , COVID-19/therapy , Hallucinations/complications , Hallucinations/therapy , Humans , Pandemics , Schizophrenia/complications , Schizophrenia/therapy , Schizophrenia, Treatment-ResistantSubject(s)
Hearing Loss , Music , Female , Humans , Aged, 80 and over , Pandemics , Hallucinations/diagnosis , Hallucinations/therapy , Hearing Loss/diagnosis , Social IsolationABSTRACT
This article outlines the mental health burden of COVID-19 in the United Kingdom population, and presents preliminary evidence of less common psychiatric issues, such as paranoia and hallucinations, to which vulnerable groups in the U.K. population may be more vulnerable. It is argued that cognitive-behavioral therapy, with components of mindfulness, should be part of the therapeutic response. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).