The Effectiveness of Cognitive-Behavioral Group Therapy on Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety in Women with Chronic Schizophrenia Admitted to Hejazi Hospital in Mashhad

Introduction: Considering the negative effects of depressive symptoms and anxiety on the course of schizophrenia, it seems that the combination of cognitive-behavioral group therapy with self-care skills can increase the effectiveness of this treatment in reducing the distress of patients with chronic schizophrenia. Therefore, a study was designed and conducted to determine the effect of cognitive-behavioral therapy group of self-care skills on the symptoms of anxiety and depression in women with chronic schizophrenia. Method: This randomized controlled clinical trial was performed on 30 women with chronic schizophrenia admitted to Hejazi Psychiatric Hospital in Mashhad. The intervention group (n = 15) underwent cognitive-behavioral therapy group of self-care skills during 10 sessions of one and a half hours and the control group (n = 15) received a routine care. The data collection tool was the Hamilton Anxiety and Depression Scale which was completed in three stages. Data were analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance and independent t-test. Results: There was a significant decrease between the intervention and control groups in terms of changes in mean anxiety before and after the intervention (P<0.001) but in terms of changes in mean anxiety before and six months after the intervention and changes in mean depression during the stages there was no significant difference (P>0.05). Conclusion: Cognitive-behavioral group therapy can be effective in reducing anxiety symptoms, but to increase the duration of its effect, the duration of sessions should be increased.