Can behavior therapies treat a disease thought to be treatable only by psychotropic drugs? A new Yale study says they can.
In a recent issue of Schizophrenia Research, a team of researchers showed that schizophrenic patients on medication can further improve their condition by using computer cognitive remediation — a technique in which patients perform tasks designed to target certain cognitive functions. The research is part of a growing body of evidence suggesting behavioral therapies could augment drug regimens for previously unresponsive patients.
“We know that the psychotropic medications are quite helpful for reducing many of the most prominent psychiatric symptoms, like delusions or hallucinations,” said Matthew Kurtz, professor of psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine and the paper’s lead author. “[The medications] moderate them, but what you’re left with are these other areas of deficit that drugs have no effect on, and one of the very important areas of deficit, are areas of cognition, memory, problem solving.”
The team, which has conducted extensive research on the use of cognitive remediation therapy, previously showed the potential benefits of a combined pharmacological and behavioral intervention. But in this paper, they showed particular effects on patients’ attention, working memory and empathy — cognitive functions typically hampered by schizophrenia and untreated by psychotropics.
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http://yaledailynews.com/blog/2015/02/10/using-behavioral-techniques-when-drugs-are-not-enough/