Martin Lepage's team is currently working on these clinically-based research projects.
Social Anxiety in Schizophrenia
Funding agency: Non funded
Social anxiety is highly prevalent in people with schizophrenia and represents a major obstacle for positive functional outcomes. Social anxiety is a treatable condition but has, in the context of psychosis, received only scant attention thus far.
One promising intervention technique is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). An adapted CBT intervention for schizophrenia must target the stigma attached to the illness, the presence of poor social skills, delusional and persecutory ideas, possible limited reading abilities and associated cognitive deficits.
As such, we are currently testing an adapted group CBT program tailored specifically to social anxiety in schizophrenic populations. The main objectives of this research project are:
- To contrast the impact of a CBT intervention for the treatment of social anxiety in schizophrenia with a social activity program (SAP) on reducing symptoms of social anxiety
- To examine the impact of reduced social anxiety on functional outcome and quality of life, considering the relationship between certain characteristics of social anxiety (e.g. social withdrawal) with diminished quality of life and poor functional outcome.
Student: Tina Montreuil
Cognitive Remediation in Schizophrenia
Funding agency: Non funded
It is well established that cognitive difficulties are often an important part of the clinical picture in schizophrenia and are associated with poorer outcome in the long-term. While this project is still under development, the global objective of this research project is to study the effects of physical activity on computer-assisted cognitive remediation therapy for people with schizophrenia.
Student: Audrey Benoit
