Jumping to conclusions and the persistence of delusional beliefs in first episode psychosis

Abstract

BackgroundCognitive biases may contribute to delusion persistence. We tested this in a longitudinal study of first episode psychosis (FEP). Methods34 FEP patients completed assessments of delusions and Jumping to Conclusions (JTC) at baseline and 12-month follow-up. ResultsJTC was associated with baseline delusion severity (t(32)=2.7, p=0.01). Baseline delusions persisted at follow-up for 8/20 participants (40%), who all jumped to conclusions (8/8, 100%), compared to half of those with no or changeable delusions (14/26, 54%; χ2 (df=1)=5.7, p=0.03; Phi=0.4). ConclusionFindings implicate cognitive biases in delusion persistence, and support the potential to reduce delusions through reasoning-focused interventions.