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Sheffield JM, Brinen AP, Feola B, Heckers S, Corlett PR. Understanding Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Psychosis Through the Predictive Coding Framework. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY GLOBAL OPEN SCIENCE 2024; 4:100333. [PMID: 38952435 PMCID: PMC11215207 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsgos.2024.100333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2023] [Revised: 05/02/2024] [Accepted: 05/04/2024] [Indexed: 07/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Psychological treatments for persecutory delusions, particularly cognitive behavioral therapy for psychosis, are efficacious; however, mechanistic theories explaining why they work rarely bridge to the level of cognitive neuroscience. Predictive coding, a general brain processing theory rooted in cognitive and computational neuroscience, has increasing experimental support for explaining symptoms of psychosis, including the formation and maintenance of delusions. Here, we describe recent advances in cognitive behavioral therapy for psychosis-based psychotherapy for persecutory delusions, which targets specific psychological processes at the computational level of information processing. We outline how Bayesian learning models employed in predictive coding are superior to simple associative learning models for understanding the impact of cognitive behavioral interventions at the algorithmic level. We review hierarchical predictive coding as an account of belief updating rooted in prediction error signaling. We examine how this process is abnormal in psychotic disorders, garnering noisy sensory data that is made sense of through the development of overly strong delusional priors. We argue that effective cognitive behavioral therapy for psychosis systematically targets the way sensory data are selected, experienced, and interpreted, thus allowing for the strengthening of alternative beliefs. Finally, future directions based on these arguments are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia M. Sheffield
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Aaron P. Brinen
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Brandee Feola
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Stephan Heckers
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Philip R. Corlett
- Department of Psychiatry, Clinical Neuroscience Research Unit, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
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Isham L, Loe BS, Hicks A, Wilson N, Bentall RP, Freeman D. Daydreaming and grandiose delusions: development of the Qualities of Daydreaming Scale. Behav Cogn Psychother 2024; 52:262-276. [PMID: 38372129 DOI: 10.1017/s1352465824000018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/20/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Daydreaming may contribute to the maintenance of grandiose delusions. Repeated, pleasant and vivid daydreams about the content of grandiose delusions may keep the ideas in mind, elaborate the details, and increase the degree of conviction in the delusion. Pleasant daydreams more generally could contribute to elevated mood, which may influence the delusion content. AIMS We sought to develop a brief questionnaire, suitable for research and clinical practice, to assess daydreaming and test potential associations with grandiosity. METHOD 798 patients with psychosis (375 with grandiose delusions) and 4518 non-clinical adults (1788 with high grandiosity) were recruited. Participants completed a daydreaming item pool and measures of grandiosity, time spent thinking about the grandiose belief, and grandiose belief conviction. Factor analysis was used to derive the Qualities of Daydreaming Scale (QuOD) and associations were tested using pairwise correlations and structural equation modelling. RESULTS The questionnaire had three factors: realism, pleasantness, and frequency of daydreams. The measure was invariant across clinical and non-clinical groups. Internal consistency was good (alpha-ordinals: realism=0.86, pleasantness=0.93, frequency=0.82) as was test-retest reliability (intra-class coefficient=0.75). Daydreaming scores were higher in patients with grandiose delusions than in patients without grandiose delusions or in the non-clinical group. Daydreaming was significantly associated with grandiosity, time spent thinking about the grandiose delusion, and grandiose delusion conviction, explaining 19.1, 7.7 and 5.2% of the variance in the clinical group data, respectively. Similar associations were found in the non-clinical group. CONCLUSIONS The process of daydreaming may be one target in psychological interventions for grandiose delusions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Louise Isham
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK
| | - Bao Sheng Loe
- The Psychometrics Centre, Cambridge Judge Business School, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Alice Hicks
- Patient Advisory Group, Oxford Cognitive Approaches to Psychosis (O-CAP), Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, UK
- The McPin Foundation, London, UK
| | - Natalie Wilson
- Patient Advisory Group, Oxford Cognitive Approaches to Psychosis (O-CAP), Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, UK
- The McPin Foundation, London, UK
| | | | - Daniel Freeman
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK
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Hall LM, Moussa-Tooks AB, Bailey AJ, Sheffield JM. Examining delusional ideation: Relationships with race and socioeconomic status. Schizophr Res 2023; 262:104-111. [PMID: 37944343 PMCID: PMC10841742 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2023.10.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2023] [Revised: 10/15/2023] [Accepted: 10/28/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023]
Abstract
Race and socioeconomic status (SES) are commonly cited as risk factors for psychosis and psychotic-like experiences (PLEs). However, few studies have investigated the relationships between race and SES with specific domains of PLEs. Specifically, little work has examined the relationships between race and SES with delusional ideation, severity (preoccupation, conviction, distress), and delusional themes. Using cross-sectional, general population data (N = 727) from the Nathan Kline Institute-Rockland (NKI-Rockland) database, we investigated racial differences in delusional ideation and severity between Black and White participants, including differences in delusional themes. Then, we investigated SES's relationship with delusional thinking and the interaction between race and SES on delusional thinking. Black American participants endorsed higher delusional ideation with stronger severity than White Americans. A significant interaction between race and delusional theme revealed that Black Americans endorse significantly more delusional ideation in themes of grandiosity, religiosity, and referential-guilt. Black Americans endorse greater delusional severity in grandiose and religious ideations. Black Americans endorse stronger preoccupation and conviction - but not distress-in their referential-guilt ideation. SES was not significantly associated with delusional thinking, nor did SES moderate the significant relationships between race and delusional ideation. These results illuminate the clear racial disparity that exist in delusional ideation within a general population, which did not extend to SES in this dataset. Future work should investigate deeper into the contributory factors to these racial disparities, particularly whether they are based in psychological and/or cultural differences or are the result of assessment/measurement bias.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren M Hall
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United States of America.
| | - Alexandra B Moussa-Tooks
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United States of America
| | - Allen J Bailey
- Division of Alcohol, Drugs, and Addition, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, United States of America; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States of America
| | - Julia M Sheffield
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United States of America
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4
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Williams T, Rollings-Mazza P. Understanding psychosis. Nursing 2023; 53:22-28. [PMID: 37734014 DOI: 10.1097/01.nurse.0000977564.10896.47] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/23/2023]
Abstract
ABSTRACT Psychotic behavior is often unpredictable; thus, there can be an increased risk of violence toward others and oneself. This article details the etiology and diagnosis of psychosis and nursing interventions to provide appropriate care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tommy Williams
- Tommy Williams is a clinical research and informatics nurse and Pamela Rollings-Mazza is the chief medical officer of PrimeCare Medical, Inc
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5
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Isham L, Loe BS, Hicks A, Wilson N, Bentall RP, Freeman D. The Difficulties of Grandiose Delusions: Harms, Challenges, and Implications for Treatment Engagement. Schizophr Bull 2023; 49:1194-1204. [PMID: 36916279 PMCID: PMC10483449 DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbad016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/16/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND HYPOTHESIS Grandiose delusions may entail difficult responsibilities and detrimental actions for patients. Recognition of these consequences by patients may provide an avenue for engagement in treatment. Furthermore, when patients carry out actions within the delusional system ("immersion behaviors") or spend considerable time thinking about their grandiose beliefs this may contribute to the persistence of the grandiosity and further harmful consequences. We, therefore, investigated grandiose-related subjective harm, immersion behaviors, and perseverative thinking. STUDY DESIGN A cross-sectional study with 798 patients with psychosis (375 of whom had grandiose delusions) and 4518 nonclinical adults. Factor analyses using data from participants scoring highly on grandiosity were used to form 3 scales: subjective harm from exceptional experiences questionnaire; immersion behaviors questionnaire; and thinking about exceptional experiences questionnaire. Associations with grandiosity were tested using structural equation modeling. STUDY RESULTS A total of 268 (77.9%) patients with grandiose delusions identified grandiose-related harms in the past 6 months and 199 (55.1%) wanted help. Immersion behaviors and perseverative thinking were highly prevalent, and explained 39.5% and 20.4% of the variance in grandiosity, respectively. Immersion behaviors and perseverative thinking were significantly associated with subjective harm, even when severity of grandiosity was controlled. Requests for help were associated with higher levels of subjective harm, use of immersion behaviors, and perseverative thinking but not severity of grandiosity. CONCLUSIONS Acting on grandiose delusions, including harmful behaviors and excessive thinking about grandiose delusions, may be routes for clinicians to engage patients in treatment. This could be a starting point for targeted psychological interventions for grandiose delusions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Louise Isham
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK
| | - Bao Sheng Loe
- The Psychometrics Centre, Cambridge Judge Business School, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Alice Hicks
- Patient Advisory Group, Oxford Cognitive Approaches to Psychosis (O-CAP), Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, UK
- The McPin Foundation, London, UK
| | - Natalie Wilson
- Patient Advisory Group, Oxford Cognitive Approaches to Psychosis (O-CAP), Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, UK
- The McPin Foundation, London, UK
| | | | - Daniel Freeman
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK
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6
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Bortolon C, Baeyens C, Raffard S. Hooked on a memory: How rumination about past positive events might contribute to grandiose ideas? BRITISH JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY 2023; 62:556-572. [PMID: 37089072 DOI: 10.1111/bjc.12425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2022] [Revised: 03/03/2023] [Accepted: 04/05/2023] [Indexed: 04/25/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Dwelling about positive experiences has been found to be positively related to mania and grandiose ideas. Nevertheless, besides some important limitations, past research has also neglected the nature (or characteristics) of memories individuals dwell on, and that might be specifically associated with grandiose ideas. Thus, the present study aimed to replicate previous studies while considering the role of specificity and the importance of memory used to increase grandiose feelings. METHOD In total, 219 participants were included and, after completing the memory induction, were randomized to either the rumination condition or the distraction condition. They also completed different questionnaires assessing positive rumination and grandiose ideas. RESULTS Overall, rumination, compared to the distraction condition, led to the maintenance of grandiose ideas and positive affect from T2 to T3. Regression analysis showed that the specificity of memory was associated with grandiose ideas at T2, which predicted grandiose ideas at T3. CONCLUSIONS Our results confirm rumination's causal role in forming grandiose ideas. We also found that autobiographical memory and, more specifically, the capacity to recall past positive experiences coupled with repeatedly thinking about them might constitute a fundamental pathway leading to the persistence of such beliefs. The use of a non-clinical sample limits the results and needs replication in clinical samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine Bortolon
- Université Grenoble Alpes, Université Savoie Mont Blanc, LIP/PC2S, Grenoble, France
- C3R - Réhabilitation Psychosociale et Remédiation Cognitive, Centre Hospitalier Alpes Isère, Grenoble, France
- Institut Universitaire de France (IUF), Paris, France
| | - Céline Baeyens
- Université Grenoble Alpes, Université Savoie Mont Blanc, LIP/PC2S, Grenoble, France
| | - Stéphane Raffard
- Université Paul Valéry Montpellier 3, Montpellier, France
- University Department of Adult Psychiatry, CHU Montpellier, Montpellier, France
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Ballesio A, Zagaria A, Lombardo C. Perseverative Cognition and Psychotic-Like Experiences in Young Adults: A Cross-Lagged Panel Model. Psychopathology 2023; 56:397-402. [PMID: 36731449 DOI: 10.1159/000528859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2022] [Accepted: 12/24/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Psychotic-like experiences (PLEs), including persecutory ideation, bizarre experiences, and perceptual abnormalities, are considered risk factors for psychotic disorders and mental distress in the general population. The cognitive-affective mechanisms associated with PLEs remain under-investigated. We aimed to longitudinally assess the reciprocal associations between perseverative cognition (PC), an emerging transdiagnostic factor of psychopathology, and PLEs facets in young adults. Participants (n = 160) from the general population completed measures of PC and PLEs at baseline and at 2-month follow-up. A two-wave, three-variable, cross-lagged panel model was implemented controlling for well-established correlates of PC and PLEs such as depression, anxiety, and symptoms of sleep disturbance. Both PLEs and PC exhibited substantive rank-order stability (β ranged from 0.359 to 0.657, ps < 0.001). Cross-lagged effects revealed that baseline PC was associated with bizarre experiences at 2-month follow-up (β = 0.317; p < 0.01). This effect overcame the well-established cut-off for practical significance. In contrast, no baseline PLEs were associated with PC at follow-up. Findings suggest the presence of a monodirectional, rather than bidirectional, association between PC and bizarre experiences in young adulthood. Results should be interpreted in light of the relatively small, non-clinical, and convenient sample.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Ballesio
- Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Andrea Zagaria
- Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
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Fusar-Poli P, Estradé A, Stanghellini G, Venables J, Onwumere J, Messas G, Gilardi L, Nelson B, Patel V, Bonoldi I, Aragona M, Cabrera A, Rico J, Hoque A, Otaiku J, Hunter N, Tamelini MG, Maschião LF, Puchivailo MC, Piedade VL, Kéri P, Kpodo L, Sunkel C, Bao J, Shiers D, Kuipers E, Arango C, Maj M. The lived experience of psychosis: a bottom-up review co-written by experts by experience and academics. World Psychiatry 2022; 21:168-188. [PMID: 35524616 PMCID: PMC9077608 DOI: 10.1002/wps.20959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Psychosis is the most ineffable experience of mental disorder. We provide here the first co-written bottom-up review of the lived experience of psychosis, whereby experts by experience primarily selected the subjective themes, that were subsequently enriched by phenomenologically-informed perspectives. First-person accounts within and outside the medical field were screened and discussed in collaborative workshops involving numerous individuals with lived experience of psychosis as well as family members and carers, representing a global network of organizations. The material was complemented by semantic analyses and shared across all collaborators in a cloud-based system. The early phases of psychosis (i.e., premorbid and prodromal stages) were found to be characterized by core existential themes including loss of common sense, perplexity and lack of immersion in the world with compromised vital contact with reality, heightened salience and a feeling that something important is about to happen, perturbation of the sense of self, and need to hide the tumultuous inner experiences. The first episode stage was found to be denoted by some transitory relief associated with the onset of delusions, intense self-referentiality and permeated self-world boundaries, tumultuous internal noise, and dissolution of the sense of self with social withdrawal. Core lived experiences of the later stages (i.e., relapsing and chronic) involved grieving personal losses, feeling split, and struggling to accept the constant inner chaos, the new self, the diagnosis and an uncertain future. The experience of receiving psychiatric treatments, such as inpatient and outpatient care, social interventions, psychological treatments and medications, included both positive and negative aspects, and was determined by the hope of achieving recovery, understood as an enduring journey of reconstructing the sense of personhood and re-establishing the lost bonds with others towards meaningful goals. These findings can inform clinical practice, research and education. Psychosis is one of the most painful and upsetting existential experiences, so dizzyingly alien to our usual patterns of life and so unspeakably enigmatic and human.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paolo Fusar-Poli
- Early Psychosis: Interventions and Clinical-detection (EPIC) Lab, Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
- OASIS service, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
- National Institute for Health Research, Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre, South London and Maudsley, London, UK
| | - Andrés Estradé
- Early Psychosis: Interventions and Clinical-detection (EPIC) Lab, Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Giovanni Stanghellini
- Department of Psychological, Territorial and Health Sciences, "G. d'Annunzio" University, Chieti, Italy
- Center for Studies on Phenomenology and Psychiatry, Medical Faculty, "D. Portales" University, Santiago, Chile
| | - Jemma Venables
- Early Psychosis: Interventions and Clinical-detection (EPIC) Lab, Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Juliana Onwumere
- National Institute for Health Research, Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre, South London and Maudsley, London, UK
- Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
- Bethlem Royal Hospital, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, Beckenham, UK
| | - Guilherme Messas
- Mental Health Department, Santa Casa de São Paulo School of Medical Sciences, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | - Barnaby Nelson
- Orygen, Parkville, VIC, Australia
- Centre for Youth Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Vikram Patel
- Department of Global Health and Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Ilaria Bonoldi
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | | | - Ana Cabrera
- Asociación Española de Apoyo en Psicosis, Madrid, Spain
| | - Joseba Rico
- Asociación Española de Apoyo en Psicosis, Madrid, Spain
| | - Arif Hoque
- Young Person's Mental Health Advisory Group (YPMHAG), King's College London, London, UK
| | - Jummy Otaiku
- Young Person's Mental Health Advisory Group (YPMHAG), King's College London, London, UK
| | - Nicholas Hunter
- NHS South London and Maudsley (SLaM) Recovery College, London, UK
| | - Melissa G Tamelini
- Institute of Psychiatry, Hospital das Clínicas de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Luca F Maschião
- Mental Health Department, Santa Casa de São Paulo School of Medical Sciences, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Mariana Cardoso Puchivailo
- Mental Health Department, Santa Casa de São Paulo School of Medical Sciences, São Paulo, Brazil
- Department of Psychology, FAE University Center, Curitiba, Brazil
| | - Valter L Piedade
- Mental Health Department, Santa Casa de São Paulo School of Medical Sciences, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Péter Kéri
- Global Alliance of Mental Illness Advocacy Networks-Europe (GAMIAN-Europe), Brussels, Belgium
| | - Lily Kpodo
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | | | - Jianan Bao
- OASIS service, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
- Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopment Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - David Shiers
- Psychosis Research Unit, Greater Manchester Mental Health Trust, Manchester, UK
- Division of Psychology and Mental Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
- School of Medicine, Keele University, Staffordshire, UK
| | - Elizabeth Kuipers
- National Institute for Health Research, Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre, South London and Maudsley, London, UK
- Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
- Bethlem Royal Hospital, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, Beckenham, UK
| | - Celso Arango
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón School of Medicine, IiSGM, CIBERSAM, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Mario Maj
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Campania "L. Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy
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9
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Ritunnano R, Humpston C, Broome MR. Finding order within the disorder: a case study exploring the meaningfulness of delusions. BJPsych Bull 2022; 46:109-115. [PMID: 33431098 PMCID: PMC9074152 DOI: 10.1192/bjb.2020.151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Can delusions, in the context of psychosis, enhance a person's sense of meaningfulness? The case described here suggests that, in some circumstances, they can. This prompts further questions into the complexities of delusion as a lived phenomenon, with important implications for the clinical encounter. While assumptions of meaninglessness are often associated with concepts of 'disorder', 'harm' and 'dysfunction', we suggest that meaning can nonetheless be found within what is commonly taken to be incomprehensible or even meaningless. A phenomenological and value-based approach appears indispensable for clinicians facing the seemingly paradoxical coexistence of harmfulness and meaningfulness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosa Ritunnano
- Institute for Mental Health, University of Birmingham, UK.,Early Intervention in Psychosis Service, Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Partnership Trust, UK
| | - Clara Humpston
- Institute for Mental Health, University of Birmingham, UK
| | - Matthew R Broome
- Institute for Mental Health, University of Birmingham, UK.,Early Intervention in Psychosis Service, Birmingham Women's and Children's NHS Foundation Trust, UK
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10
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Arul B, Lee D, Marzen S. A Proposed Probabilistic Method for Distinguishing Between Delusions and Other Environmental Judgements, With Applications to Psychotherapy. Front Psychol 2021; 12:674108. [PMID: 34434137 PMCID: PMC8380927 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.674108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2021] [Accepted: 07/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
How can individuals with schizophrenia best be equipped to distinguish delusions from accurate judgements about their environment? This study presents an approach based on the principles of Bayesian probability and presents the results of a series of tests in which a simulated observer classifies randomly generated data characteristic of a simulated environment. The complexity of the data ranges from scalars to vectors of variable lengths, and the simulated observer makes its decisions based on either perfect or imperfect models of its environment. We find that when a low-dimensional observation is considered characteristic of both real observations and delusions, the prior probabilities of any observation being real or fake are of greater importance to the final decision than the attributes of the observation. However, when an observation is high-dimensional (complex), classification accuracy tends to improve toward 100% with increasing complexity of observations, as long as the patient's model of the world isn't drastically inaccurate. On the contrary, when the observer's model is sufficiently inaccurate, the accuracy rate decreases with increasing observational complexity. Overall, the results suggest applicability of the Bayesian model to the use of interventional therapy for those who suffer from psychosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Boopala Arul
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, United States
| | - Daniel Lee
- W. M. Keck Science Department, Pitzer, Scripps, and Claremont McKenna College, Claremont, CA, United States
| | - Sarah Marzen
- W. M. Keck Science Department, Pitzer, Scripps, and Claremont McKenna College, Claremont, CA, United States
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11
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Sheffield JM, Brinen AP, Freeman D. Paranoia and Grandiosity in the General Population: Differential Associations With Putative Causal Factors. Front Psychiatry 2021; 12:668152. [PMID: 33995151 PMCID: PMC8119764 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.668152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2021] [Accepted: 03/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Worry, negative self-beliefs, and sleep disturbance have been identified as contributory factors to the onset, maintenance, and severity of paranoia. We tested the specificity of these contributory factors to paranoia compared to grandiosity, a different type of delusional ideation. Data were used from 814 adults from the Nathan Kline Institute-Rockland (NKI-Rockland) study, a general population dataset. Paranoid and grandiose delusional ideation was assessed using the Peters Delusions Inventory (PDI-21) and correlated with self-reported worry (n = 228), negative self-beliefs (n = 485), and sleep quality (n = 655). Correlations were compared using Fisher's r-to-z transform to examine whether the magnitude of relationships differed by delusion type. Paranoia was significantly associated with worry, negative self-belief, and sleep quality. Grandiosity demonstrated significantly weaker relationships with worry and negative self-beliefs. Relationships with sleep quality were similar. We replicate previous reports that worry, negative self-beliefs and sleep quality are associated with paranoid ideation in the general population. We extend these findings by demonstrating that these contributory factors, particularly worry and negative self-beliefs, are associated with paranoid ideation to a greater extent than grandiosity. This suggests a degree of specificity of contributory factors to different types of delusional thinking, supporting the pursuit of specific psychological models and treatments for each delusion type.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia M Sheffield
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United States
| | - Aaron P Brinen
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United States
| | - Daniel Freeman
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
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12
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O'Keeffe D, Keogh B, Higgins A. Meaning in Life in Long-Term Recovery in First-Episode Psychosis: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Front Psychiatry 2021; 12:676593. [PMID: 34408676 PMCID: PMC8365246 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.676593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2021] [Accepted: 07/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Meaning in Life (MIL) is a central aspect of service user defined personal recovery in mental health. It is unclear whether current knowledge regarding MIL is applicable to the lives of those who have experienced psychosis. As it was not possible to locate any study examining service user perspectives on MIL in first-episode psychosis (FEP), conducting in-depth qualitative research in this area offers an opportunity to develop a conceptualisation of MIL that may be transferable to the broad psychosis spectrum. Aim: The aim of the study was to explore how people find, develop, and maintain MIL approximately 21 years after their FEP diagnosis. Materials and Methods: The study aim was addressed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Participants were members of an epidemiologically complete FEP incidence cohort in Ireland. Purposive maximum variation sampling enabled the recruitment of a sample balanced across remission status, age at time of FEP onset, and gender. Semi-structured interviews were conducted circa 21 years post FEP with 16 participants. Data analysis was guided by IPA procedures. Results: Participants experienced MIL as awareness of connectedness to context - the interrelated conditions they existed in (their relationships with the self, others, systems, the environment, and time). Awareness of connectedness to context occurred in five main ways: Being myself - de-othering and authenticity (Enacting identity); Becoming significant where the self is witnessed (Belonging in life); Generating meaning within and beyond systems (Independence); Shaping and being shaped by life (Agency and patiency); and Integrating different perspectives of time (Reconciling temporality). Conclusions: Findings offer the first in-depth understanding of how people diagnosed with a FEP experience MIL in mid-later life recovery. Current tripartite MIL theories do not fully represent the array of MIL perspectives articulated by our participants. MIL concepts developed are potential areas for intervention for mental health services seeking to implement the recovery approach. Findings can be used to foster optimism among service users and their supporters for MIL attainment in psychosis and offer guidance for education, clinical practice, policy, and future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donal O'Keeffe
- DETECT Early Intervention in Psychosis Service, Dublin, Ireland.,School of Nursing and Midwifery, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Brian Keogh
- School of Nursing and Midwifery, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Agnes Higgins
- School of Nursing and Midwifery, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
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Abstract
Because of the traditional conceptualization of delusion as “irrational belief,” cognitive models of delusions largely focus on impairments to domain-general reasoning. Nevertheless, current rationality-impairment models do not account for the fact that (a) equivalently irrational beliefs can be induced through adaptive social cognitive processes, reflecting social integration rather than impairment; (b) delusions are overwhelmingly socially themed; and (c) delusions show a reduced sensitivity to social context both in terms of how they are shaped and how they are communicated. Consequently, we argue that models of delusions need to include alteration to coalitional cognition—processes involved in affiliation, group perception, and the strategic management of relationships. This approach has the advantage of better accounting for both content (social themes) and form (fixity) of delusion. It is also supported by the established role of mesolimbic dopamine in both delusions and social organization and the ongoing reconceptualization of belief as serving a social organizational function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vaughan Bell
- Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London.,Psychological Interventions Clinic for Outpatients with Psychosis, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, England
| | - Nichola Raihani
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University College London
| | - Sam Wilkinson
- Department of Sociology, Philosophy and Anthropology, Exeter University
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14
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Byrne R, Bird J, Reeve S, Jones W, Shiers D, Morrison A, Pyle M, Peters S. Understanding young peoples' and family members' views of treatment for first episode psychosis in a randomised controlled trial (MAPS). EClinicalMedicine 2020; 24:100417. [PMID: 32775967 PMCID: PMC7393652 DOI: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2020.100417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2020] [Revised: 05/21/2020] [Accepted: 05/28/2020] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND There is limited evidence to inform treatment decision-making in adolescents experiencing first episode psychosis (FEP). In the MAPS trial (Managing Adolescent first Episode Psychosis: a feasibility Study), adolescents with FEP received either antipsychotic medication (AP), psychological intervention (PI), or both. We investigated treatment views of young people and family members across each treatment arm of MAPS. METHODS Thirteen adolescents participating in MAPS and eighteen family members attended in-depth audio-recorded interviews to discuss trial treatments. Interviews were analysed using inductive Thematic Analysis, identifying salient themes across these accounts. FINDINGS Family members in particular reported an urgent need for treatment regardless of type. Both AP and PI were broadly viewed as acceptable treatment approaches, but for differing reasons which participants weighed against a range of concerns. AP were often seen to reduce symptoms of psychosis, though participants expressed concerns about side effects. PI were viewed as interactive treatment approaches that helped improve understanding of psychosis and enhanced coping, although some found PI emotionally and cognitively challenging. Combining treatments was seen to maximise benefits, with a perceived interaction whereby AP facilitated engagement with PI. INTERPRETATION Acceptability of and engagement with treatments for FEP may differ between individual young people and their family/carers. In order to be able to offer fully informed choices, and determine an optimum treatment approach for young people with FEP, definitive trial evidence should be established to determine wanted and unwanted treatment impacts. FUNDING NIHR HTA programme (project number 15/31/04).
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Affiliation(s)
- R.E. Byrne
- Psychosis Research Unit, Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, Prestwich M25 3BL, UK
- Division of Psychology and Mental Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK
| | - J.C. Bird
- Department of Psychiatry, Medical Sciences Division, University of Oxford, Warneford Hospital, Oxford, OX3 7JX, UK
- Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, Warneford Hospital, Oxford, OX4 7JX, UK
| | - S. Reeve
- Department of Clinical, Educational, and Health Psychology, University College London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - W. Jones
- Psychosis Research Unit, Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, Prestwich M25 3BL, UK
- Division of Psychology and Mental Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK
| | - D. Shiers
- Psychosis Research Unit, Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, Prestwich M25 3BL, UK
| | - A.P. Morrison
- Psychosis Research Unit, Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, Prestwich M25 3BL, UK
- Division of Psychology and Mental Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK
| | - M. Pyle
- Psychosis Research Unit, Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, Prestwich M25 3BL, UK
- Division of Psychology and Mental Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK
| | - S. Peters
- Division of Psychology and Mental Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK
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15
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Bortolon C, Lebrun C, Laloyaux J. The Bergen-Montpellier grandiose ideas questionnaire – B-MGI: a new tool for measuring grandiose delusions. PSYCHOSIS 2020. [DOI: 10.1080/17522439.2020.1745875] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Catherine Bortolon
- LIP PC2S Lab, Department of Psychology, University Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble, France
| | - Cindy Lebrun
- Laboratoire EPSYLON, Université Paul-Valéry Montpellier III, Montpellier, France
| | - Julien Laloyaux
- Department of Biological and Medical Psychology, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- NORMENT – Norwegian Center of Excellence for Mental Disorders Research, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Psychology and Neuroscience of Cognition Research Unit, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
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