Emotional management therapy in early psychosis.

BACKGROUND: Emotional management therapy (EMT) aims to improve handling of emotional stress in schizophrenia. It consists of two sub-programmes: the first includes relaxation techniques, the second stress coping skills. METHOD: A pilot study of EMT in 19 patients with early psychosis produced positive results and a post-hoc study of 16 patients was commenced. RESULTS: EMT showed positive results, with chronic patients improving more than patients with early psychosis. CONCLUSION: EMT can be effective in early psychosis, especially for cognitive functioning.