Schizophrenia: Cognitive Theory, Research, and Therapy [Hardcover]

Aaron T. Beck (Author), Neil A. Rector (Author), Neal Stolar (Author), Paul Grant (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1606230182 | ISBN-13: 978-1606230183 | Publication Date: October 29, 2008 | Edition: 1

From Aaron T. Beck and colleagues, this is the definitive work on the cognitive model of schizophrenia and its treatment. The volume integrates cognitive-behavioral and biological knowledge into a comprehensive conceptual framework. It examines the origins, development, and maintenance of key symptom areas: delusions, hallucinations, negative symptoms, and formal thought disorder. Treatment chapters then offer concrete guidance for addressing each type of symptom, complete with case examples and session outlines. Anyone who treats or studies serious mental illness will find a new level of understanding together with theoretically and empirically grounded clinical techniques.

(20100101)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Synthesizing research on the psychology and biology of schizophrenia, Beck et al. show how a cognitive approach can be used to understand and treat even the most severely ill patient. This book is a masterpiece that challenges conventional thinking and describes one of the most exciting developments in psychiatry today. It is essential reading for all mental health professionals."--Richard Bentall, PhD, Professor of Clinical Psychology, University of Bangor, UK

 

"This volume offers a window into the world of an individual with schizophrenia by revealing how disturbed neurobiology can cause normal thought processes to evolve into psychosis. The authors describe how both clinicians and patients can better understand schizophrenia symptoms using CBT--and how the process of doing so can be powerfully therapeutic."--Stephen R. Marder, MD, Professor and Director, Section on Psychosis, Semel Institute, UCLA

 

"Beck and his colleagues have done it again! This book is simply outstanding. It begins with a very clear and insightful overview of our scientific understanding of the etiology of schizophrenia, offers detailed analyses of the cognitive underpinnings of psychotic symptoms, and then outlines specific approaches for tailoring cognitive techniques to treat these symptoms. Unlike many authors who address schizophrenia treatment, Beck et al. clearly link science with treatment strategies. I plan to use this book as the primary text in my seminars on clinical treatment."--Elaine F. Walker, PhD, Samuel Candler Dobbs Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience, Emory University

 

"The time has assuredly come for all clinicians working with persons with schizophrenia to become well acquainted with cognitive therapy for psychosis. Beck's decades of experience and wisdom are clearly reflected in this book. The cognitive conceptualizations of delusions, hallucinations, negative symptoms, and formal thought disorder are especially compelling and will provide critical new insights for both trainees and seasoned clinicians. This is an important addition to the library of any clinician committed to supporting recovery in persons with schizophrenia."--Shirley M. Glynn, PhD, Research Psychologist, Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, UCLA

"Beck et al. have written the rare book that succeeds in wedding theory, research, and practice into a cohesive conceptual framework. The book provides an integrated theoretical model that accounts for the disparate symptoms of schizophrenia. These theoretical foundations are complemented by excellent, detailed clinical guidelines, vignettes, sample dialogues, and useful tools. An outstanding resource for researchers and clinicians who want to better understand the role of cognitive factors in schizophrenia and its treatment."--Kim T. Mueser, PhD, Professor of Psychiatry and Community and Family Medicine, Dartmouth Medical School

"Many of the puzzling and vexing symptoms of schizophrenia are largely untouched by existing psychosocial and psychopharmacological treatments. Beck and his colleagues present an integrated, empirically based theory of the disorder which provides the foundation for identifying effective therapeutic strategies. Logically presented, scholarly, and generously illustrated with case examples, this book will serve as a practical guide for practitioners seeking to improve their effectiveness, as well as program leaders seeking to augment the continuum of care for this population. I strongly recommend this text for graduate and professional training programs in psychiatry, clinical psychology, social work, psychiatric nursing, and psychiatric rehabilitation."--Gary R. Bond, PhD, Chancellor's Professor of Psychology, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis

"This is the most comprehensive and yet lucidly written book on cognitive theory and therapy of schizophrenia I have ever read. That's no surprise, given that Beck pioneered the development of cognitive-behavioral therapy for schizophrenia. What is remarkable here is the optimal balance between breadth (from biology and pharmacology to psychology and social services) and depth (detailed understanding of cognitive deficits and their treatment). The book is 'must' reading for anyone interested in schizophrenia, from the pre- or postdoctoral student to the teacher, clinician, or researcher. Everyday case examples and direct quotes from actual therapy sessions, combined with relevant rating scales, research findings, and a detailed bibliography, make this volume a one-stop source for all the necessary information in this area."--Dilip V. Jeste, MD, Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, and VA San Diego Healthcare System

"This book represents a major advance in the application of cognitive theory and therapy. It is fitting that the founder of cognitive therapy is now pioneering its use with people with schizophrenia, who were once thought to be virtually untreatable. The authors provide a groundbreaking integration of neurobiological and cognitive-behavioral approaches to understanding the disorder and improving patients' lives. Unique contributions of the book include the descriptions of cognitive distortions and cognitive triads specific to schizophrenia and the development of cognitive models of thought disorder and negative symptoms, which have been neglected until now."--Tony Morrison, ClinPsyD, Professor of Clinical Psychology and Associate Director of Early Intervention, University of Manchester, UK

(20100101)

"Therapists and psychiatrists will discover many approaches that will be useful in working with patients with psychosis in a variety of settings and situations beyond the formal cognitive therapy session....This rich and powerful book will be valuable to anyone in the field of mental health who works with people with psychotic disorders and who would like to be able to do more to help them."--American Journal of Psychiatry

(American Journal of Psychiatry 20100301)

"In its 14 chapters, the reader is treated to not only a detailed presentation of cognitive therapy and practice in schizophrenia, but also a rich overview of the disorder and current biological models that conceive of cognitive deficits as the central core of schizophrenic psychopathology....The authors make a persuasive case that, when used in conjunction with pharmacotherapy, cognitive therapy could become a key ingredient in offering hope and recovery to many patients with schizophrenia."--Psychological Medicine

(Psychological Medicine 20100601)

"The major achievement of [this book]...can...be seen in the integration of cognitive-behavioral and biological knowledge into a conceptual framework. This is achieved by comprehensively examining various domains of research on the origins, development, and maintenance of key symptoms....Four detailed chapters provide cognitive conceptualizations of delusions, hallucinations, negative symptoms, and formal thought disorder. These conceptualizations reflect the careful thinking of talented clinicians who have immersed themselves in their subject and achieved valuable insights....The chapters on treatment....Offer concrete and detailed guidance for addressing each type of symptom, complete with case examples. They reflect the authors'' considerable experience disseminating this therapeutic approach and I expect even experienced clinicians to find them extremely helpful....It is fascinating to be reminded in this book of how much research in schizophrenia has expanded over the last decades. By bringing together a lot of this research and generating new ideas, this book is sure to add to further major developments in our ideas about schizophrenia."--Journal of Psychosomatic Research

(Journal of Psychosomatic Research )

About the Author

Aaron T. Beck, MD, is University Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, and the founder of cognitive therapy. He has published more than 20 books and over 540 articles in professional and scientific journals. Dr. Beck is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Albert Lasker Clinical Medical Research Award, the American Psychological Association Lifetime Achievement Award, the American Psychiatric Association Distinguished Service Award, the Robert J. and Claire Pasarow Foundation Award for Research in Neuropsychiatry, and the Institute of Medicine's Sarnat International Prize in Mental Health and Gustav O. Lienhard Award. He is President of the Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy and Honorary President of the Academy of Cognitive Therapy.

Neil A. Rector, PhD, is Director of Research, Department of Psychiatry, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, and Associate Professor of Psychiatry, University of Toronto. He is a Founding Fellow of the Academy of Cognitive Therapy and an editorial board member of several cognitive therapy journals, and conducts research on cognitive mechanisms and cognitive therapy treatments for psychiatric disorders. Dr. Rector has an active clinical practice and is also involved in training and supervision.

 

Neal Stolar, MD-PhD, is a Medical Director and Director of the Cognitive Therapy for the Treatment of Psychosis Special Project at Project Transition in the Philadelphia area; a psychiatric consultant for Creative Health Services and Penn Behavioral Health; a researcher at the University of Pennsylvania’s Psychopathology Research Unit and Schizophrenia Research Center; and in private practice. Dr. Stolar is a Founding Fellow of the Academy of Cognitive Therapy. He has lectured internationally on cognitive therapy of schizophrenia.

 

Paul Grant, PhD, is Director of Schizophrenia Research and a Fellow in the Psychopathology Research Unit, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Grant’s research interests include cognitive psychopathological models of positive and negative symptoms as well as cognitive therapy of schizophrenia. He is the author of several journal articles and book chapters.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 418 pages
• Publisher: The Guilford Press; 1 edition (October 29, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1606230182
• ISBN-13: 978-1606230183
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #818,068 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #58 in Books > Law > Family & Health Law > Mental Health

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mastery!, October 24, 2009

By 

Detroit Doc - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Schizophrenia: Cognitive Theory, Research, and Therapy (Hardcover)

Beck et al. not only provide an excellent, clinically oriented assessment of CBT, but they also provide an incredible discussion on the pathology, etiology, & neuropsychiatry of schizophrenia that I've never before seen. It is clear, concise, and very easy to understand. Other authors tend to get wrapped up in the minutia of neuropsychiatry, but not these! I was amazed at how much better I understood schizophrenia after reading just the first few opening chapters.

13 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book, but "chickens out" at key points, September 27, 2009

By 

Ron Unger (Eugene, OR) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Schizophrenia: Cognitive Theory, Research, and Therapy (Hardcover)

This book goes into depth about the psychological aspects of the problems that get diagnosed as "schizophrenia," while integrating that with the latest research, so there's a lot to recommend it. It contains some interesting perspectives and original thinking, and I learned a lot from it, even though I was already pretty well read on the subject. Most of the thinking appears to be top-notch, including both depth and coherence.

But that's not why I'm writing this review. While I was struck by the quality of the thinking in most areas, I found that when it came to discussing the possibility of doing therapy without medications, it suddenly seemed that dogma was taking the place of thinking.

At one point (page 317 to be exact) it is stated categorically that "cognitive therapy alone cannot treat the symptoms of schizophrenia...." On page 305 it is stated that "The use of cognitive and other forms of therapy may lessen the amount of medication needed but not eliminate the need completely." The problem is, this contention flies in the face of actual outcome data in many cases. For example, it's well known that all of the long term outcome studies on schizophrenia show that large percentages of people, 25% or more, manage to get off medication completely and do well. In one of the earlier studies of CBT for psychosis (Kuipers et al. (1997)), at the end of the study 25% of those in the CBT group, but none of those in the control group, were off medication. Many case reports show successful outcomes using CBT with clients who decline to use medication, and having good results. A number of studies using psychosocial only approaches had outcomes at least as good as those achieved by medication treatment (such as the Soteria project.)

To add insult to injury, on page 305 a statement is made implying that the only reason a practitioner might want to treat a person with therapy only, and not medication, is because of a "personal preference." Given that medications cause innumerable negative effects on health, some of which are potentially fatal, and given they often both subjectively and objectively have many negative effects on mental and emotional functioning, it would seem that there really are other reasons a practitioner might want to try therapy without medications in cases where it seems that might work.

So, why do the authors of an otherwise thoughtful book make a claim so at odds with the facts, and then imply that anyone who disagrees with them is somehow morally defective and operating out of simple "personal preference"? I think I detect the heavy hand of politics here - it seems that the authors must have caved in to pressure to not present CBT as a possible alternative to the medical model, but only as a "supplement." Certainly, in many circles, CBT is likely to face easier sailing if it is presented that way. But really, people deserve the truth, even when it makes the establishment uncomfortable, and that's why it is sad that the truth got left out here.

Certainly it is true that we don't have a psychological treatment that in all cases can treat the symptoms that get labeled schizophrenia without the use of medications. But the evidence seems clear, from a huge number of studies (not just the ones I mentioned above) that in many cases, psychological or psychosocial treatment alone can be adequate, and comes without the serious hazards of treatment with medications. These facts argue for a more individualized approach, open to the possibility that some will be able to make it without the medications. It's too bad that the authors of this book did not accept those facts and argue for an individualized approach as well, or discuss the unknowns and conclude that that more research is needed, rather than making a blanket & untrue statement that medications are always necessary.

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Recommend, April 14, 2010

By 

Diane Koser "healthchoices" (PA, USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Schizophrenia: Cognitive Theory, Research, and Therapy (Hardcover)

This is a well researched/written book, which keeps in perspectivet past literature and reseaarch, but forges new ground that could be helpful to the many who suffer from this disorder.