HBHL-funded lab publishes promising study of free online intervention for schizophrenia
An HBHL-funded lab at the Douglas Research Centre, led by Martin Lepage, Professor of Psychiatry at McGill University and Deputy Scientific Director at the Douglas, has recently published a study in JAMA Psychiatry to determine the effectiveness of metacognitive training for psychosis (MCT) in treating individuals living with schizophrenia.
MCT is a brief, free cognitive health intervention that offers a non-confrontational approach to reduce the severity of some symptoms of schizophrenia. MCT has also been successfully adapted to treat other conditions such as depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
“After 15 years and numerous international studies, it is now necessary to examine the accumulated empirical evidence and the long-term effects of MCT, which will act as the next step in facilitating broader access to this intervention,” notes Lepage.
This systematic review of data found that the benefits of MCT were maintained up to one year after the intervention. These findings support the usefulness of MCT as an affective tool that can be offered to those living with schizophrenia across healthcare settings. The effectiveness of MCT's digital approach also opens the door for the development of other accessible mental health interventions.
The lab will continue their work on MCT, soon making the intervention accessible at several sites as part of a national study aimed at implementing two virtual cognitive health interventions for people with a psychotic disorder.
