Study: NCT03955549

Intervention type: BEHAVIORAL
Group type: EXPERIMENTAL
Intervention: Metacognitive Training for Psychosis (MCT)
Description: The training consists of eight modules that are administered within the framework of a group intervention program that involves eight 1-hour group sessions with 4 to 10 patients in each group. MCT is manualized and currently available in thirty languages and can been downloaded via the following web address: http://www.uke.de/mct. Among the problematic thinking styles recognized as potential contributors to the development of delusions are attributional distortions (module 1), a jumping to conclusions bias (module 2 and 7), a bias against disconfirmatory evidence (module 3), deficits in theory of mind (module 4 and 6), over-confidence in memory errors (module 5) and depressive cognitive patterns (module 8).

Intervention type: DRUG
Group type: EXPERIMENTAL
Intervention: Treatment As Usual (TAU)
Description: Treatment As Usual (TAU) consists of psychiatric management by a clinical team including at least one psychiatrist and one psychologist. Treatment involves antipsychotic medication, regular office-based contacts with the clinical team for treatment monitoring, recreational group activities, and unstructured psycho-educational groups. Participants in the interventional groups also will receive TAU.~Medications: In order to standardize treatment, Risperidone (Risperdal ) will be used as the antipsychotic medication in all three groups with a dose up to 6-8 milligrams according to clinical severity. The same dose will be used for 1 month prior to starting interventions). In case of occurrence of mild extrapyramidal symptoms associated with high doses of risperidone, an anticholinergic drug (Benztropine) might be used.

Intervention type: DRUG
Group type: EXPERIMENTAL
Intervention: Treatment As Usual (TAU)
Description: Treatment As Usual (TAU) consists of psychiatric management by a clinical team including at least one psychiatrist and one psychologist. Treatment involves antipsychotic medication, regular office-based contacts with the clinical team for treatment monitoring, recreational group activities, and unstructured psycho-educational groups. Participants in the interventional groups also will receive TAU.~Medications: In order to standardize treatment, Risperidone (Risperdal ) will be used as the antipsychotic medication in all three groups with a dose up to 6-8 milligrams according to clinical severity. The same dose will be used for 1 month prior to starting interventions). In case of occurrence of mild extrapyramidal symptoms associated with high doses of risperidone, an anticholinergic drug (Benztropine) might be used.

Intervention type: DRUG
Group type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR
Intervention: Treatment As Usual (TAU)
Description: Treatment As Usual (TAU) consists of psychiatric management by a clinical team including at least one psychiatrist and one psychologist. Treatment involves antipsychotic medication, regular office-based contacts with the clinical team for treatment monitoring, recreational group activities, and unstructured psycho-educational groups. Participants in the interventional groups also will receive TAU.~Medications: In order to standardize treatment, Risperidone (Risperdal ) will be used as the antipsychotic medication in all three groups with a dose up to 6-8 milligrams according to clinical severity. The same dose will be used for 1 month prior to starting interventions). In case of occurrence of mild extrapyramidal symptoms associated with high doses of risperidone, an anticholinergic drug (Benztropine) might be used.