Measuring paranoid beliefs: can adaptive testing support routine clinical care?

Trees of two different shade divided by a white line

Simulation study suggests computerised adaptive testing could reduce paranoia assessment from 10 items to 4 while maintaining accuracy. Real-world implementation and clinical testing needed.

[read the full story...]

Widening the lens on delusions: a global meta-analysis shows our scales miss many common themes

A camera lens and shutter in close up

This big meta-analysis pooled 155 studies from 37 countries and found many more delusional themes than standard assessment tools capture. Clinicians should watch for “non-classical” content, and researchers should widen how we measure delusions.

[read the full story...]

Changing the game: how virtual reality treatment can help people with psychotic disorders get back into the world

adrian-deweerdt-kJ2xdKJZZ9k-unsplash

Imogen Bell summarises the gameChangeVR trial of virtual reality for agoraphobic avoidance and distress in patients with psychosis.

[read the full story...]

Is virtual reality the future of schizophrenia spectrum therapy?

hammer-tusk-t3oVS8r7P8A-unsplash

Stefanie Sturm blogs a systematic review which finds sparse, but promising support for the use of virtual reality to treat schizophrenia spectrum disorder.

[read the full story...]

SlowMo: an app to improve thinking biases in people experiencing paranoia

Featured

Imogen Bell blogs about a recent randomised controlled trial of the SlowMo app, which aimed to slow down thinking patterns and correct interpretation biases in people experiencing paranoia.

[read the full story...]

Conspiracy theories and coronavirus: one in four people “endorse unequivocally false ideas about the pandemic”

logan-troxell-pnkr_17_UVE-unsplash

Ian Cummins considers the findings of a survey study published in May 2020 on coronavirus conspiracy beliefs, mistrust, and compliance with government guidelines in England.

[read the full story...]

Loneliness and the psychosis continuum: can loneliness be a target for mental health services?

shutterstock_770291950

Laurie Hare-Duke writes his debut elf blog on a recent meta-analysis on loneliness and the psychosis continuum, which finds that loneliness is associated with both positive and negative psychotic symptoms, and is more strongly associated with paranoia than with hallucinations.

[read the full story...]

“It doesn’t mean they aren’t after you”: sexual minorities and paranoia

shutterstock_1151758097

Sarah Carr explores a recent cross-sectional study on sexual minority status and symptoms of psychosis, which looks at the role of bullying, discrimination, social support and drug use.

[read the full story...]

Do you have my back? Perceived social support, loneliness, and its impact on mental health outcomes

warren-wong-238677-unsplash

In the lead up to our Loneliness Mental Health Question Time on 3rd Dec 2018, Dr Michelle Lim summarises a recent systematic review on the associations between loneliness and perceived social support and outcomes of mental health problems.

[read the full story...]

Can virtual reality CBT help people with psychosis be more sociable?

Screen Shot 2018-02-08 at 10.52.47

André Tomlin appraises a new RCT published today of virtual reality CBT versus waiting list control for paranoid ideation and social avoidance in people with psychosis.

[read the full story...]