CBT and hearing voices

Most people with schizophrenia hear voices, even when they are sticking to their medication. Many of them report voices that are abusive, critical and out of touch with reality. People who are troubled by hearing voices often have a history of paranoia, abuse and suicidal thoughts and can become violent. Cognitive therapy for people who hear voices aims not at eliminating the voices but at reducing their perceived power to distress or harm and reducing the motivation of those who hear voices to 'buy into' or appease them. A trial on 65 patients in Canada found that those who were given 12, 90-minute sessions of cognitive therapy by nurses on top of their usual treatment showed significant improvements in their symptoms and self-esteem up to a year after the end of the study.

England, Margaret - Efficacy of cognitive nursing intervention for voice hearing Perspectives in Psychiatric Care April 2007, 43(2), 69-76