Terapia cognitivo-conductual en esquizofrenia: una revisión narrativa de la literatura

introduction: schizophrenia is a severe and disabling disorder. although pharmacological treatment has been effective for this condition, up to 60% of patients show an insufficient response. since the beginnings of psychological therapies, there has been an interest in these interventions in psychotic patients. objectives: this paper reviews the most important aspects of cbt in the treatment of patients with schizophrenia and the most relevant data supporting its usefulness in this severe disorder. development: psychoanalysis, behavioral therapy, supportive therapy and family interventions were the only available psychotherapies for a long time. consensus was reached in that psychoanalysis is not indicated in patients with schizophrenia. orthodox behavioral therapy made valuable contributions, but was mostly aimed at compensating behavioral deficits. family therapy has shown positive effects in important clinical outcomes like psychotic relapse, rehospitalization and medication compliance. cognitive behavioral therapy (cbt) has been introduced not only for helping to compensate certain deficits of schizophrenia, but also to complement medication in the treatment of positive, emotional and negative symptoms. conclusions: several controlled studies and metanalysis have shown that cbt is useful in reducing positive symptoms, for treating emotional disorders, and has had some impact on negative symptoms.