Trauma-focused therapy in people at-risk of psychosis
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A feasibility study of eye-movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) in people with an at-risk mental state (ARMS) for psychosis
IRAS ID
240073
Contact name
Stanley Zammit
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Research and Enterprise Development, University of Bristol
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 4 months, 31 days
Research summary
Psychotic illnesses are some of the most disabling illnesses, with more than 21 million people affected worldwide. These illnesses cause a huge burden on sufferers and their families. Approximately 22% of people with an at-risk mental state (ARMS) will make a transition to psychosis within 1 year. Current treatments to prevent the onset of psychosis are not very effective. \n\nMore than 80% of the people at-risk of psychosis report traumatic events, especially during childhood. Studies suggested that memories of these events can lead to some people developing hallucinations (e.g. hearing voices) and delusions (e.g. paranoid beliefs), which are the most common symptoms of psychotic illnesses. Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a type of trauma-focused therapy which helps people deal with traumatic memories by changing how these are stored, and altering negative beliefs caused by the event (e.g. ‘It is my fault’). \n\nEMDR is an effective therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder, another illness caused by memories of traumatic events, but no studies have yet investigated whether EMDR could prevent the onset of psychosis in people at-high risk. To investigate this, a large randomised-controlled trial is needed. First, however, we need to investigate whether such a trial would be feasible and acceptable to patients. This feasibility study will do this by recruiting 40 ARMS patients with a history of trauma, and randomly allocating them to 12 EMDR sessions, or treatment as usual (TAU). Participants will be followed up for 1 year, and data on transition to psychosis and severity of symptoms will be collected. Patients and therapists will be interviewed about their views of EMDR, study materials and participation experiences. These results will help us design a large randomized controlled trial to examine if EMDR is effective in preventing the development of psychotic illnesses.\n\n
REC name
South West - Cornwall & Plymouth Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/SW/0037
Date of REC Opinion
19 Mar 2018
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion