Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Paranoia in Schizophrenia

Paranoia-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (PFCBT) is a manualized intervention that
combines group and individual modalities to reduce paranoia-biased information-processing and
social avoidance, and to increase insight and reality testing capacity.

This is a randomized controlled clinical trial. Twenty four adults ages 18-65 with the
primary DSM-IV Schizophrenia and Schizoaffective disorder and drug-refractory persecutory
delusions will be recruited from outpatient clinics in New York City Metropolitan area.
Participants will be randomly assigned to either experimental or control group. The
experimental group will receive PFCBT in addition to standard care and the control group will
receive standard care alone. PFCBT will include participation in one group session and one
individual therapy session weekly over the 15 weeks. The preliminary efficacy of the
intervention will be evaluated using standardized measures by blind evaluators conducted at
baseline, post-treatment, and at 6-months post-termination follow-up.

Inclusion Criteria:

- Age 18 to 65 years

- Met DSM IV diagnostic criteria for schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder,
confirmed by the Clinical Structural Diagnostic Interview (SCID, First et al, 1997)
-Reported persistent and distressing paranoid delusion(s);

- A minimum severity score of 4 point Persecution subscale on The Positive and Negative
Syndrome Scale (PANSS)

- Had an adequate trial (6 months or more) and were stabilized on antipsychotic
medications (no change in psychiatric medication prescribed in the last month

Exclusion Criteria:

-Substance misuse or medical disorder identified as the primary cause of delusions