Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Psychosis: Goals of Pharmacotherapy

Psychosis: Goals of Pharmacotherapy

Antipsychotic drugs are a crucial treatment method for acute and chronic psychoses, bipolar illness, and behavioral disorders. The selection of these drugs depends on several factors, including the state of the disease, clinical judgment, possible drug interactions, and the patient's sensitivity to adverse effects. In immediate scenarios, such as delirium and dementia, short-term treatment with low doses of high-potency typical or atypical agents can effectively manage symptom exacerbation.

Cognitive Therapy

Cognitive Therapy

Cognitive therapy, pioneered by Aaron T. Beck in the 1960s, is a structured approach to addressing psychological distress by focusing on the influence of thoughts on emotions and behaviors. All cognitive therapies involve the basic assumption that human beings have control over their feelings, and that how individuals feel about something depends on how they think about it. Unlike psychoanalytic methods that delve into unconscious processes or humanistic approaches emphasizing...

Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy

Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy

Cognitive-behavioral therapies (CBTs) are grounded in the belief that our thoughts profoundly influence our emotions and actions. Advocates of CBT emphasize three core assumptions: first, that cognitions are identifiable and measurable; second, that they are central to psychological functioning; and third, that irrational or maladaptive beliefs can be replaced with rational and adaptive ones. This transformative approach to therapy has paved the way for specific models such as Albert...

Drug Therapy

Drug Therapy

The advent of drug therapy has profoundly shaped modern mental health care, providing targeted treatments for a range of psychological disorders. Psychotherapeutic drugs, classified into antianxiety, antidepressant, and antipsychotic medications, address symptoms across anxiety disorders, mood disorders, and schizophrenia. While these medications have transformed patient outcomes, they require careful management due to their potential side effects and limitations.
Antianxiety Medications

Psychological and Sociocultural Causes of Schizophrenia

Psychological and Sociocultural Causes of Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia, a complex psychiatric disorder, has been historically misunderstood. Early psychological theories attributed its origins to childhood trauma and unresponsive parenting. However, contemporary research largely rejects these notions, favoring the vulnerability-stress hypothesis. This model proposes that individuals with a genetic predisposition to schizophrenia may develop the disorder following exposure to significant environmental stressors. Notably, studies on high-risk...

Treatment Strategies for Psychological Disorders

Treatment Strategies for Psychological Disorders

Treatment approaches for psychological disorders fall into three main categories: psychological, biological, and sociocultural. Each approach targets different aspects of mental health, requiring varying levels of education and training.
Psychological therapies focus on modifying emotions, thoughts, and behaviors through talking, interpreting, listening, rewarding, challenging, and modeling. Clinical psychologists, counselors, and social workers commonly practice psychotherapy. Clinical...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Bridging traditions: a template analysis of Buddhist and Western psychological approaches to mindfulness.

Frontiers in psychology·2026

Same author

Concerns About Self-Safety or Own Emotional Regulation in the Home are Both Associated With Suicidal Ideation: A Risk Factor Warranting Research and Policy Attention.

Asia-Pacific psychiatry : official journal of the Pacific Rim College of Psychiatrists·2026

Same author

Putting Lived Experience at the Centre: A Critical Review of Multidisciplinary, Person-Centred Mental Health Care.

Journal of multidisciplinary healthcare·2026

Same author

Risk of all-cause and cause-specific mortality, and suicide attempt in people with anxiety and stress-related disorders: a systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression analysis of 165 studies.

World psychiatry : official journal of the World Psychiatric Association (WPA)·2026

Same author

Body dysmorphic symptoms in autism and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: A comorbidity study.

The Australian and New Zealand journal of psychiatry·2026

Same author

Efficacy and Moderators of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Psychosis Versus Other Psychological Interventions: An Individual-Participant Data Meta-Analysis.

Focus (American Psychiatric Publishing)·2026

Same journal

The pressurised leaky funnel: rethinking recruitment, selection and retention in the UK psychiatry workforce.

The British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science·2026

Same journal

Cutting through stigma: psychiatry and neurosurgery working together.

The British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science·2026

Same journal

A fourth pillar for evidence-based medicine: implications for psychiatry - CORRIGENDUM.

The British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science·2026

Same journal

Understanding negative perceptions of psychiatrists on social media: lessons from public discourse and professional self-reflection.

The British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science·2026

Same journal

Attachment-informed psychopharmacology in psychiatric care.

The British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science·2026

Same journal

Acceptability and accuracy of point-of-care monitoring of lithium levels.

The British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science·2026

See all related articles

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 10, 2026

Protocol for Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation with Symptom Provocation to Treat Obsessive-compulsive Disorder

Protocol for Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation with Symptom Provocation to Treat Obsessive-compulsive Disorder

Published on: November 25, 2025

Acceptance and commitment therapy for psychosis: randomised controlled trial.

Frances Shawyer¹, John Farhall², Neil Thomas¹

¹Frances Shawyer, PhD, MAPS, MCCLP, School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University, Victoria and Department of Psychiatry, School of Clinical Sciences at Monash Health, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia; John Farhall, PhD, FAPS, School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University, Victoria and NorthWestern Mental Health, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Victoria, Australia; Neil Thomas, DClinPsy, School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University, Victoria, School of Health Sciences, Swinburne University, Hawthorn, Victoria and Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Steven C. Hayes, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada, USA; Robert Gallop, PhD, Department of Mathematics, Applied Statistics Program, West Chester University, West Chester, Pennsylvania, USA; David Copolov, PhD, MBBS, Office of the Vice-Chancellor and Discipline of Psychiatry, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria and Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, Victoria, Australia; David J. Castle, MD, FRCPsych, FRANZCP, Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria and St Vincent's Hospital Mental Health, Fitzroy, Victoria, Australia.

The British Journal of Psychiatry : the Journal of Mental Science

|December 17, 2016

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) showed benefits for positive symptoms and hallucination distress in patients with persistent psychosis. However, overall mental state did not differ between ACT and befriending groups.

More Related Videos

Virtual Prism Adaptation Therapy: Protocol for Validation in Healthy Adults

Virtual Prism Adaptation Therapy: Protocol for Validation in Healthy Adults

Published on: February 12, 2020

Polar Histogram Visualization of Acute Stress Disorder Scale Scores for Comprehensive Clinical Assessment

Polar Histogram Visualization of Acute Stress Disorder Scale Scores for Comprehensive Clinical Assessment

Published on: December 6, 2024

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Mar 10, 2026

Protocol for Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation with Symptom Provocation to Treat Obsessive-compulsive Disorder

Protocol for Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation with Symptom Provocation to Treat Obsessive-compulsive Disorder

Published on: November 25, 2025

Virtual Prism Adaptation Therapy: Protocol for Validation in Healthy Adults

Virtual Prism Adaptation Therapy: Protocol for Validation in Healthy Adults

Published on: February 12, 2020

Polar Histogram Visualization of Acute Stress Disorder Scale Scores for Comprehensive Clinical Assessment

Polar Histogram Visualization of Acute Stress Disorder Scale Scores for Comprehensive Clinical Assessment

Published on: December 6, 2024

Area of Science:

Psychiatry
Clinical Psychology
Mental Health Research

Background:

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) has demonstrated efficacy in psychosis.
Evidence for ACT's effectiveness in medication-resistant psychosis is limited.
This study addresses the gap in understanding ACT's utility for persistent psychotic symptoms.

Purpose of the Study:

To evaluate the efficacy of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) in community-residing patients with persistent psychotic symptoms.
To assess ACT's impact on overall mental state, psychotic symptom dimensions, and patient functioning.
To compare ACT against a befriending control condition.

Main Methods:

A randomized controlled trial (ACTRN12608000210370) involving 96 patients with persisting psychotic symptoms.
Participants were randomized to either ACT (n=49) or a befriending control group (n=47).
Outcomes, including the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), were measured at baseline, post-therapy, and 6-month follow-up.

Main Results:

No significant group difference was observed in the primary outcome of overall mental state (PANSS total score).
The ACT group demonstrated significantly greater improvement in positive symptoms (Cohen's d = 0.52) and reduced hallucination distress (Cohen's d = 0.65) at follow-up.
These improvements were specific to symptom dimensions targeted by the therapy.

Conclusions:

ACT may offer benefits for specific positive symptoms and distress associated with psychosis, beyond general befriending.
The current ACT intervention did not appear to significantly alter targeted psychological processes compared to befriending.
Future research should refine ACT interventions, investigate underlying mechanisms, and consider cognitive functioning and dosage for individuals with persistent psychosis.