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Anticipatory Pleasure Skills Training: A New Intervention to Reduce Anhedonia in Schizophrenia

  1. Jérôme Favrod RN, CNS,
  2. Fabienne Giuliani PhD,
  3. Fanny Ernst BSW,
  4. Charles Bonsack MD

Article first published online: 2 JUN 2010

DOI: 10.1111/j.1744-6163.2010.00255.x

Issue

Perspectives in Psychiatric Care

Perspectives in Psychiatric Care

Volume 46, Issue 3, pages 171–181, July 2010

Additional Information

How to Cite

Favrod, J., Giuliani, F., Ernst, F. and Bonsack, C. (2010), Anticipatory Pleasure Skills Training: A New Intervention to Reduce Anhedonia in Schizophrenia. Perspectives in Psychiatric Care, 46: 171–181. doi: 10.1111/j.1744-6163.2010.00255.x

Author Information

  1. Jérôme Favrod, RN, CNS, is a Clinical Nurse Specialist, Community Psychiatry Service, Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital Center and University of Lausanne, Site de Cery, Prilly, and Professor of Community Psychiatry Nursing, La Source, Health Campus of the University of Applied Sciences of Western Switzerland, Lausanne, Switzerland; Fabienne Giuliani, PhD, is a Research Team Leader, Community Psychiatry Service, Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital Center and University of Lausanne, Site de Cery, Prilly, Switzerland; Fanny Ernst, BSW, is a Social Worker, Etablissement médico-social Le Pré-Carré, Corcelles-sur Chavornay, Switzerland; and Charles Bonsack, MD, is a Privatdocent, Community Psychiatry Service, Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital Center and University of Lausanne, Site de Cery, Prilly, Switzerland.

*Author contact: j.favrod@ecolelasource.ch, with a copy to the Editor: gpearson@uchc.edu

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 24 JUN 2010
  2. Article first published online: 2 JUN 2010
  3. First Received March 23, 2009; Final Revision received September 14, 2009; Accepted for publication October 13, 2009.

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Keywords:

  • Anhedonia;
  • anticipatory pleasure;
  • cognitive therapy;
  • schizophrenia

PURPOSE.  Anhedonia is a challenging symptom of schizophrenia and remains largely recalcitrant to current pharmacological treatments. The goal of this exploratory pilot study was to assess if a cognitive–sensory intervention could improve anticipatory pleasure.

DESIGN AND METHODS.  Five participants meeting the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th edition, Text Revision) criteria for schizophrenia, presenting severe anhedonia and stabilized on atypical antipsychotic medication, received between 10 hours and 25 hours of training.

FINDINGS.  Results show that the patients improved on the anticipatory scale of the Temporal Experience of Pleasure Scale. Daily activities of the patients were also increased.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS.  These preliminary data need to be interpreted with caution given the small sample of the study, but they offer promising paths to develop new interventions to alleviate anhedonia in schizophrenia.

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