Effectiveness of Acceptance and CommitmentTherapy for Patients with Psychosis Being Monitoredat a Community Mental Health Center: A Six-MonthFollow-up Study

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to examine the long-term efficacy of a short-term acceptance and com mitment therapy-based (ACT) group psychotherapy on patients with psychosis in a community men tal health center (CMHC). Methods: A total of 6 group-based ACT sessions were applied to 16 people diagnosed with psychoticdisorders who met the inclusion criteria. They were evaluated at the start of, end of, and 6 months af ter the therapy using the acceptance and action questionnaire, the psychotic symptom rating scales,and the quality-of-life scale. Results: At the end of the 6 session group therapy and 6-month follow-up, a statistically significantdecrease was found in patients’ psychotic symptoms and experiential avoidance as well as a statisti cally significant increase in their quality of life (P < .001). Conclusion: According to the results, ACT can be said to be an effective method for managing psy chotic symptoms, reducing experiential avoidance, and improving the quality of life in patients diag nosed with psychotic disorders in CMHCs.