Cognitive Therapy
The goal of cognitive therapy is to change the distorted thinking and behavior that hinders a person's ability to function. It uses a structured approach to modify a patient's thought processes. It strives to improve a person's mood and actions. A patient is given a chance to think about her illness and early psychotic symptoms in new ways, ways she probably would not discover on her own.
Fact
If therapy helps a person examine his psychotic symptoms in realistic ways, delusions may not have a chance to become permanent fixtures in his brain. Cognitive therapy, in effect, has the potential to challenge abnormal and bizarre ideas before they become fixed in a patient's thought processes.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy helps people deal with other problems related to developing psychosis, such as worry, stress, and depression. It provides practical, problem-solving skills and techniques for dealing with stressful challenges.
