'Jumping to conclusions' in first‐episode psychosis: A longitudinal study. (19th July 2013)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Dudley, Robert; Daley, Kate; Nicholson, Marsha; Shaftoe, Debra; Spencer, Helen; Cavanagh, Kate; Freeston, Mark
• Is Part Of: British journal of clinical psychology. Volume 52:Number 4(2013:Nov.)
• Page Start: 380
• Page End: 393
• Publication Date: 2013-07-19
• Subjects: 616.89
• DOI: 10.1111/bjc.12023
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0144-6657

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main" id="bjc12023-abs-0001"> <title> <x xml:space="preserve">Abstract</x> </title> <sec id="bjc12023-sec-0001" sec-type="section"> <title>Objectives</title> <p>People with psychotic symptoms are reported to have a characteristic reasoning style in which they jump to conclusions. To date, little research has been conducted to investigate if this style changes over time and is associated with improvements or worsening of symptoms. This study considered these questions.</p> </sec> <sec id="bjc12023-sec-0002" sec-type="section"> <title>Methods</title> <p>Thirty‐one service users were recruited from a first‐episode service and completed measures of reasoning, psychotic, and non‐psychotic symptomatology at two time points over 2 years.</p> </sec> <sec id="bjc12023-sec-0003" sec-type="section"> <title>Results</title> <p>Over time, people with psychosis generally became less hasty in their decision‐making. Those who became less hasty in their reasoning were less symptomatic. For those who remained very hasty in their reasoning, this was associated with a worsening specifically of the delusional beliefs.</p> </sec> <sec id="bjc12023-sec-0004" sec-type="section"> <title>Conclusions</title> <p>This work supports the notion that there is a critical time in the first few years of psychosis during which symptoms and reasoning can change. However, where reasoning style does not change, this may be associated with greater difficulties associated with delusional beliefs.</p> </sec> <sec id="bjc12023-sec-0006" sec-type="section"> <title>Practitioner points</title> <p> <list id="bjc12023-list-0001" list-type="bullet"> <list-item> <p>Reasoning biases are common in people with psychosis.</p> </list-item> <list-item> <p>The persistence of hasty reasoning may be a marker for poor outcome.</p> </list-item> <list-item> <p>Reasoning biases can be addressed by specific treatments.</p> </list-item> <list-item> <p>The results are based on a small sample of clinical participants.</p> </list-item> <list-item> <p>This study did not consider if treatments for reasoning would have improved outcome of people with psychosis.</p> </list-item> <list-item> <p>This study may have benefitted from comparison with a control group of people without psychosis.</p> </list-item> </list> </p> </sec> </abstract>