Impact of the group intervention "Accept Voices©" for the management of auditory hallucinations

Coping Strategy Enhancement for Auditory Verbal Hallucinations Within Routine Clinical Practice

ABSTRACT

Auditory verbal hallucinations (AVH) are often multiple distressing experiences. Emerging evidence suggests that interventions informed by the principles of cognitive behavioral therapy, such as brief Cognitive Strategy Enhancement (brief-CSE), can reduce the distress related to AVH. The benefits of brief-CSE have been demonstrated for English-speaking patients. This uncontrolled pilot study, conducted in routine clinical practice, evaluated the benefits of brief-CSE within a group of French-speaking AVH hearers. Thirty-two patients were offered the brief-CSE intervention. Self-administered questionnaires were completed pre-post intervention. A significant reduction was observed in AVH distress, with a large effect size, and for more than half of the patients, this reduction was clinically meaningful. AVH severity and anxiety also decreased significantly. This study demonstrates that brief-CSE can be implemented in non-English-speaking routine clinical practice and can reduce several aspects of AVH subjective experience. There is a need to confirm these findings in a larger sample.

"Accept voices©" group intervention for the management of auditory verbal hallucinations-results at 6 and 12 months

"The Accept Voices© is a useful intervention for the management and acceptance of auditory verbal hallucinations in people with schizophrenia. This study aims at determining if the clinical effects remained at six- and 12-month follow-ups. Results show that participants (N = 22) maintained a decrease in auditory hallucinations, at the six and 12 months follow ups for severity and acceptance of Voices, anxiety and depression. Accept Voices© shows promise as a potential treatment for people with schizophrenia struggling with Voices.