Effects of body-oriented therapies on the negative symptoms in people with schizophrenia: A systematic review

Abstract

In a stabilized phase of schizophrenia, negative symptoms are evident, on which body-oriented therapies can act. This systematic review examines the scientific evidence of the effects of all body-oriented therapies on the negative symptoms in people with schizophrenia and the effects of each type of body-oriented therapies on the negative symptoms in people with schizophrenia. To carry out this systematic review, the PRISMA guidelines were followed. The research was carried out through Pubmed, Cochrane, Web of Science, APAPsycNet, Science Direct, Scopus and the VHL Regional Portal. The meth- odological quality of the studies was assessed using the PEDro scale and data synthesis was performed. There were included 18 studies with the following interventions: creative arts, mind-body interventions, and body psychotherapy. Negative symptoms (total value), affective blunting, anhedonia, avolition, alogia, asociality, and psychomotor slowing were studied. In conclusion, there is strong scientific evi- dence that: body-oriented therapies do not promote positive effects on avolition, when it is assessed using the SANS scale; and creative arts reduce the total value of negative symptoms, when assessed by PANSS.