Mentalization-based treatment for psychotic disorder: protocol of a randomized controlled trial.
Many patients with a non-affective psychotic disorder suffer from impairments in social functioning and social cognition. To target these impairments, mentalization-based treatment for psychotic disorder, a psychodynamic treatment rooted in attachment theory, has been developed. It is expected to improve social cognition, and thereby to improve social functioning. The treatment is further expected to increase quality of life and the awareness of having a mental disorder, and to reduce substance abuse, social stress reactivity, positive symptoms, negative, anxious and depressive symptoms.



The study is a rater-blinded randomized controlled trial. Patients are offered 18 months of therapy and are randomly allocated to mentalization-based treatment for psychotic disorders or treatment as usual. Patients are recruited from outpatient departments of the Rivierduinen mental health institute, the Netherlands, and are aged 18 to 55 years and have been diagnosed with a non-affective psychotic disorder. Social functioning, the primary outcome variable, is measured with the social functioning scale. The administration of all tests and questionnaires takes approximately 22 hours. Mentalization-based treatment for psychotic disorders adds a total of 60 hours of group therapy and 15 hours of individual therapy to treatment as usual. No known health risks are involved in the study, though it is known that group dynamics can have adverse effects on a psychiatric disorder.



If Mentalization-based treatment for psychotic disorders proves to be effective, it could be a useful addition to treatment.



Dutch Trial Register. NTR4747 . Trial registration date 08-19-2014.
Rivierduinen Institute for Mental Health Care, Leiden, The Netherlands. j.weijers@ggzleiden.nl.|Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, South Limburg Mental Health Research and Teaching Network, EURON, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands. j.weijers@ggzleiden.nl.|Rivierduinen, GGZ Leiden, Sandifortdreef 19, room A426, 2333 ZZ, Leiden, The Netherlands. j.weijers@ggzleiden.nl.
Jonas
0000-0003-3115-3926
J
Weijers
Rivierduinen Institute for Mental Health Care, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Coriene
C
Ten Kate
Department of Clinical Psychology, Health and Neuropsychology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Elisabeth
E
Eurelings-Bontekoe
Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, South Limburg Mental Health Research and Teaching Network, EURON, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
Wolfgang
W
Viechtbauer
Rivierduinen Institute for Mental Health Care, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Rutger
R
Rampaart
MBT Team, Anna Freud Centre, London, UK.|Psychoanalysis unit, University College London, London, UK.
Anthony
A
Bateman
Rivierduinen Institute for Mental Health Care, Leiden, The Netherlands.|Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, South Limburg Mental Health Research and Teaching Network, EURON, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
Jean-Paul
JP
Selten
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002985:Clinical Protocols; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009426:Netherlands; D010045:Outpatients / Q000523:psychology; D011613:Psychotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D011615:Psychotherapy, Group / Q000379:methods; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D011788:Quality of Life; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D012917:Social Adjustment; D012919:Social Behavior; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D056345:Theory of Mind; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
Mentalization; Psychosis; Psychotherapy; Schizophrenia; Social cognition; Social functioning; Treatment