Sensory Integration Based Program Developed According to the Model of Creative Ability in an Individual with Schizophrenia: An Occupational Therapy Case Report

Abstract

Schizophrenia is a serious brain disease that causes individuals to be unable to distinguish between real and unreal phenomena, preventing healthy thought flow, emotion control and normal behavior. Symptoms of schizophrenia that begin at an early age are accompanied by positive symptoms, negative symptoms, and cognitive symptoms. Understanding the neurological processes accompanying clinical symptoms in schizophrenia is of great importance in terms of defining, researching, and improving mental health disorders The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of a sensory-based occupational therapy intervention developed according to the Vona du Toit Model of Creative Ability on the clinical symptoms and sensory processing skills of an individual with schizophrenia. Creative ability level was evaluated with Model of Creative Ability, positive and negative symptoms as clinical symptoms were evaluated with Positive and Negative Symptom Scale, and cognitive symptoms as other clinical symptoms were evaluated with Mini Mental State Exemination, and sensory processing process were evaluated with Adolesan/ Adult Sensory Profile. Evaluations were applied twice, before and after the intervention. According to the results of the research, it was observed that the 8-week occupational therapy intervention applied to the patient with schizophrenia reduced clinical symptoms and improved sensory processing skills and creative abilities. This study showed that when an individual with schizophrenia is supported with a developmental occupational therapy program that includes sensory integration-based behaviors and abilities, sensory processing skills, positive and negative symptoms, cognitive symptoms, and creative ability levels improve.