Psychosocial interventions for the negative symptoms of psychosis

The research community, which has traditionally focused on the positive symptoms of psychosis, is now looking at treatments for the negative symptoms. Preliminary research suggests psychosocial interventions, including art therapy and cognitive behaviour therapy, may be effective. In parallel with these developments, the authors have conducted inter-related studies to evaluate whether or not behavioural activation may be effective in reducing negative symptoms. In this article, they consider the general lessons learned from these studies, and the wider implications for psychosocial intervention practice for negative symptoms.