Behavioral Cognitive Case Study

Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment of Schizophrenia: A Case Study
William Bradshaw
University of Minnesota
Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy: An International Journal, 12, (1) 13-25, 1998
Abstract
Cognitive-behavioural treatment (CBT) has rarely been applied as the primary treatment for the multiple, severe and persistent problems that characterize schizophrenia. This case study describes the process of CBT in the long-term outpatient care of a young woman with schizophrenia. The study highlights the adaptation of cognitive-behavioural strategies to the unique needs of schizophrenia and presents data regarding clinical outcomes in this case. Measures of psychosocial functioning, severity of symptoms, attainment of treatment goals and hospitalisation data were used to assess change over the 3- year treatment period and at 1-year follow-up. Results indicate considerable improvement in all outcome variables and maintenance of treatment gains. These findings suggest the potential usefulness of cognitive-behavioural interventions in the treatment of schizophrenia.
Introduction
Cognitive-behavioural treatment (CBT) has been widely used and its effectiveness established with numerous patient populations and problems (Beck, 1993). However, there has been limited application of CBT techniques in the treatment of persons with schizophrenia and little research regarding its efficacy with this population. This neglect may be due to the dominance of pharmacological treatment and the decline of psychotherapy, the severity of the disorder, or the inadequacies of previous attempts to understand and manage schizophrenia from a cognitive behavioural framework (Birchwood & Preston, 1991; Goggin, 1993)
There is a growing commitment to the design of psychotherapeutic treatments that are grounded in knowledge of the psychopathology of specific diagnostic groups and tailored to the unique needs of the population (Hogarty et al., 1995; Liberman, 1993). This paper will highlight

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