Maybe one sentence that can use some more context:
They also listed their most important needs during periods of crisis: Getting rid of voices and paranoia
There is nothing that you can do to help someone getting rid of their voices. On the contrary, encouraging them not to hear voices might make it worse. This is why Acceptance and Commitment Therapy is on the list of evidence based approaches. And why Validation of their experience; someone to listen who could be trusted is on that list of needs as well.
As with most psychopathology, trying not to experience stuff that often results in more of those experiences. Off course, do get help, and medication might help to get rid of voices. But changing how you cope with such experiences is also of use.
I agree that trying to force hallucinations and paranoia away or talk someone out of them almost never works. I was citing verbatim the list of what people from the NAMI survey listed as their needs.
Just a note that the APA here is the American Psychological rather than Psychiatric Association (both go by APA, confusingly) and lists only talk therapy and social support methods, not including medication. For psychosis in particular, I think virtually anyone in the field would say medication is the first line of treatment. The kinds of treatment listed there are good for ongoing management, but if I ever became psychotic I would absolutely want a psychiatrist or emergency room to be my first stop. Talk therapy would be good to add in later.
Great post. I’ll try to make a useful contribution. Maybe this can be of help as well: the APA list of evidence based treatments:
for bipolar disorder http://www.div12.org/psychological-treatments/disorders/bipolar-disorder/
for psychosis & other related disorders http://www.div12.org/psychological-treatments/disorders/schizophrenia-and-other-severe-mental-illnesses/
Maybe one sentence that can use some more context:
There is nothing that you can do to help someone getting rid of their voices. On the contrary, encouraging them not to hear voices might make it worse. This is why Acceptance and Commitment Therapy is on the list of evidence based approaches. And why Validation of their experience; someone to listen who could be trusted is on that list of needs as well.
As with most psychopathology, trying not to experience stuff that often results in more of those experiences. Off course, do get help, and medication might help to get rid of voices. But changing how you cope with such experiences is also of use.
Eric Morris is one of the researchers on this topic http://drericmorris.com/ & this is a Twitter feed aimed at contextual behavioral science and psychosis https://twitter.com/ACBSPsychosis
Thank you!
I agree that trying to force hallucinations and paranoia away or talk someone out of them almost never works. I was citing verbatim the list of what people from the NAMI survey listed as their needs.
Just a note that the APA here is the American Psychological rather than Psychiatric Association (both go by APA, confusingly) and lists only talk therapy and social support methods, not including medication. For psychosis in particular, I think virtually anyone in the field would say medication is the first line of treatment. The kinds of treatment listed there are good for ongoing management, but if I ever became psychotic I would absolutely want a psychiatrist or emergency room to be my first stop. Talk therapy would be good to add in later.