Anti-hallucinatory coping strategies in schizophrenia

Despite the effectiveness of antipsychotic drugs in schizophrenia, many patients continue to have persistent positive symptoms like hallucinations. It has provided new interest for coping strategies used by hallucinated patients. Therefore the aim of the study was to explore the existence of such strategies in 50 schizophrenic patients defined by the presence of hallucinations. A specific questionnaire about coping strategies and a scale for the assessment of positive and negative symptoms were used. Our results showed that each patient developed at least one strategy, even rudimentary. Moreover, whenever the type of hallucinations, they developed specific coping strategies, most of the time logically used: they used them as much as they were efficace. So coping strategies should be taken into account for the clinical management of hallucinated patients. Learning of these strategies through behavioural and cognitive therapy could help patients suffering from resistant hallucinations.