Avatar-mediated Therapy Versus Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Persisting Experiences of Hearing Voices

Launched by SWINBURNE UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY · Aug 4, 2023

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is studying two types of psychological therapies to help people who hear voices due to conditions like schizophrenia or other psychotic disorders. The new therapy being tested is called Avatar Therapy, which uses a virtual representation of the person to help them interact with their voices in a different way. The researchers want to see if this new approach is more effective than the standard therapy known as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) in improving the lives of those who experience these distressing voices.

To participate in this study, individuals must be at least 18 years old, have been diagnosed with a schizophrenia-related disorder or a mood disorder with psychotic symptoms, and have been hearing voices for at least one year. They also need to be currently taking antipsychotic medication and have access to a computer or device with internet for video sessions. Participants will have the chance to engage in therapy and share their experiences, helping researchers understand which method might work better for managing these challenging symptoms. If you or someone you know fits these criteria, it could be a valuable opportunity to receive support while contributing to important research.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Schizophrenia-related disorder or a mood disorder with psychotic symptoms diagnosis confirmed using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM (SCID)
• • Experiencing current auditory verbal hallucinations as measured by the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) item P3 ≥ 4
• • Auditory verbal hallucinations present for at least one year
• • AVHs include significant negative content (PSYRATS item 6 ≥ 2) and/or AVHs are distressing (PSYRATS item item 9 ≥ 2)
• • Current treatment with antipsychotic medication, or has been treated with antipsychotic medication in the past, with at least two different antipsychotic compounds, and these have been discontinued due to insufficient treatment response and/or poor tolerability.
• • Access to the internet and a computer or other device on which videoconferencing software can be used
• • Sufficient fluency in English for meaningful participation
• • Age 18 or over
• • Ability to give informed consent
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Auditory verbal hallucinations attributable to a primary substance use disorder or organic disorder
• • Estimated full scale IQ \< 70 (using the Test of Premorbid Functioning, TOPF)
• • Within the last month or planned at the time of intake: a change of antipsychotic medication,
• • Current or within the past 3 months receipt of individual psychological therapy for hearing voices, or receipt of electro-convulsive therapy or other brain stimulation treatment;
• • AVHs in a language not spoken by the therapists.