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A pilot study of exposure control of chronic auditory hallucinations in schizophrenia
Background:
Many patients complain less of their auditory hallucinations per se than of lack of control of the experiences. There is reason to believe that a non-distraction (exposure) approach could help patients gain more control over persistent auditory hallucinations and teach them that their experience is a form of thinking and has no external source. This study is a pilot test of that idea.
Method:
Five DSM-III-R schizophrenic outpatients with medication-resistant auditory hallucinations improved with a mean of 31 hour-long sessions over 3 months of therapist-guided exposure to their hallucinations and situations likely to evoke them.
Results:
Improvement was greatest in patients' anxiety and sense of control over their hallucinations, less in social use of leisure and hallucinating time.
Conclusions:
These mildly encouraging pilot results warrant a controlled study of exposure for drug-resistant chronic auditory hallucinations and other psychotic experiences which are associated with anxious avoidance.