Negative symptons experienced by people with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder who use cannabis: a pilot study within assertive outreach services

摘要

This thesis is submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Clinical Psychology Doctorate at the University of Birmingham. There are two volumes to the thesis, which illustrate research (Volume I) and clinical work (Volume II). Volume I contains a literature review, research paper, and public domain paper. The literature review summarises research that explored the impact of different psychological therapies on negative symptoms in schizophrenia and related disorders. The research paper describes an investigation into the negative symptoms experienced by people with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder who use cannabis, compared to those who do not. It is intended that both pieces of work will be submitted to ‘Schizophrenia Research’ for publication. The public domain paper summarises both the literature review and research paper. Volume II contains five clinical practice reports (CPRs). CPR1 is a case formation about a 21 year old man with a learning disability, an Autistic Spectrum disorder, and who experiences anxiety and shows aggression. CPR2 is a service evaluation about the effectiveness of a multidisciplinary team referral process in a learning disability service. CPR3 documents a single-case experimental design that assessed the effectiveness of a toileting intervention with a ten year boy with secondary encopresis. CPR4 depicts a case study of an 81 year old man with memory loss and depression. An abstract outlining CPR5, a clinical presentation about a 50 year old woman with mixed anxiety and depressive disorder, is also included.