What’s going on inside the ‘black
box’?
There’s
something
wrong with
me
psychlotron.org.uk
People
are
laughing
on the
bus
What’s going on inside the ‘black
box’?
People are
trying to
sabotage
my career
psychlotron.org.uk
My
papers
are not
where I
left them
What’s going on inside the ‘black
box’?
My family is
plotting
against me
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I can’t
hear
what
people
are
saying
Cognitive approach
Schizophrenia symptoms are the result of
faulty information processing



Misattributed speech & behaviour
Faulty self-monitoring
Deficits in STM & semantic memory
psychlotron.org.uk

Cognitive Approach
Perception
Inference
Search for
new info
Source: Bentall (1990)
Belief
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Events in
the world
Cognitive approach
Treatment involves getting the patient to
modify their beliefs about their experiences
psychlotron.org.uk

Cognitive therapies
CBT strategies to challenge & help modify
delusory beliefs




Identify delusions
Challenge evidence on which delusions are
based
Design ‘experiments’ to test reality of this
evidence
Chadwick & Lowe (1993) – significant
reductions in delusions in 10 out of 12
patients
psychlotron.org.uk

Cognitive therapies
Normalising strategies where patient is taught
to understand the nature of schiz. symptoms



Challenge ‘catastrophising’ beliefs about
schizophrenia
Help patient feel that symptoms are
understandable and ‘normal’
Helps 70% of patients although other 30%
may deteriorate (Kingdon & Turkington, 1996)
psychlotron.org.uk
