tuation. The patient tries to use what they have learned between sessions so that they make continued and sustained progress. CBT can be used in combination with drug therapy, since it does not involve medications itself. CBT should only be practiced by a trained therapist.
CBT has been used in the treatment of schizophrenia for decades in Britain, but American psychiatrists have been slow to follow their lead (Rosack, 2002). The British National Health Service has adopted CBT as a valid and reimbursable treatment for schizophrenia (Cognitive, 2003). This allows psychiatrists to use CBT along with drug therapy to treat schizophrenia. CBT helps these patients identify the negative thoughts which fuel their emotions. CBT is now the mainstay for schizophrenia treatment in the United Kingdom, but in America for the last 30 years there has been a drive to find a biological reason for schizophrenia (Rosack, 2002). Recent studies have shown that CBT can improve the core symptoms of schizophrenia, both positive and negative, and can help make these patients functional for longer periods. Delusions often have some basis in fact, and if this is explored with the patient in CBT, they can learn to differentiate a generalized delusion to a specific event they may have heard about or seen, showing them that the delusion fear was actually based in fact.
Most schizophrenic patients need medications, but drugs alone do not solve their problems (New, 2002). They also need social rehabilitation and psychiatric care. They need help in understanding their illness and coping with the symptoms. CBT and social skills training helps schizophrenic patients correct their behavior and normalize it through rehearsing behaviors and observing models. Social skills training has been shown to reduce relapse rates for up to one year. However, it is sometimes difficult for the patient to transfer these skills to real life situations and the skills th...