Effectiveness of Traditional Chinese Metacognitive Training (MCT) in Patients With Schizophrenia, Depression, or Bipolar Disorder Attending a Psychiatric Day Hospital in Taiwan

Launched by ZI-YU LIN · Jun 26, 2025

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This study is looking at a special type of group therapy called Traditional Chinese Metacognitive Training (MCT) for people in Taiwan who have schizophrenia, major depression, or bipolar disorder. These conditions often come with symptoms like hearing voices or having confusing thoughts, which can make daily life hard. While medicines help many people, some still struggle with these symptoms. MCT is designed to help people recognize and change the way they think about their experiences, which may improve symptoms and how they feel day to day. This study wants to see if this training helps patients in Taiwan feel better, think more clearly, and manage daily tasks and social activities more easily.

Adults between 18 and 75 years old who have been diagnosed with one of these conditions, are attending a psychiatric day hospital, and can understand and complete questionnaires in Mandarin may be able to join. The program involves eight group sessions over four weeks, each lasting about an hour. Participants will be asked to complete some questionnaires before and after the training to measure changes in symptoms, thinking patterns, daily functioning, and overall well-being. The study will also ask how satisfied participants are with the training. It’s important to note that this is an early study without a comparison group and is only happening at one hospital, but it could provide helpful information for future research and treatment options in Taiwan.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Adults aged 18 to 75 years.
• • Diagnosed with schizophrenia, major depressive disorder, or bipolar disorder based on DSM-5 criteria by a psychiatrist.
• • Currently enrolled in a psychiatric day hospital.
• • Judged by an occupational therapist as capable of understanding written/spoken Mandarin and completing Chinese-language questionnaires.
• • No changes in psychiatric medication within the past month.
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • History of severe hearing or visual impairments.
• • Severe psychiatric symptoms or attention deficits that would prevent full participation in a 60-minute session, as judged by the therapist.
• • Presence of inappropriate social behaviors such as aggression, sexual harassment, or antisocial behavior.
• • Ongoing major life crises or recent traumatic events.