Qualitative assessment of verbal and non-verbal psychosocial interventions for people with severe mental illness

Background: Various forms of psychosocial interventions for people with severe mental illness (SMI) exist. These interventions include verbal interventions as well as activity-based interventions.Aims: To compare three psychosocial interventions with persons with SMI using qualitative assessment. The interventions tested were: (a) a psycho-educational recovery oriented verbal intervention, (b) training in karate (an activity-based intervention), and (c) aerobic exercises (a control intervention).Method: 145 people with a diagnosis of a SMI (schizophrenia, schizoaffective, affective disorder, severe personality disorders) were randomly assigned to the above three interventions. Sixty-four participants who had participated in 12 or more sessions were interviewed during the last week of each intervention. Participants' accounts of the intervention process and outcome were analyzed qualitatively.Results: Training in karate improved the cognitive and physical status of the participants and increased their self-control and sense of empowerment, more than the verbal intervention.Conclusions: An activity-based intervention might be more effective than a psycho-educational verbal intervention.