Insomnia therapy may improve sleep symptoms in people with schizophrenia
A small trial review favored cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia, while its effect on overall schizophrenia symptoms remained unclear.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia may reduce insomnia severity in adults who also have schizophrenia. Compared with usual treatment, the pooled result favored the sleep-focused therapy after treatment, but evidence certainty was low. The effect on overall schizophrenia symptoms remained unclear, so better insomnia scores should not be taken as evidence of broader psychiatric improvement.
This abstract-based summary reflects low-certainty evidence. Most secondary outcomes appeared in at most a single trial and had very wide confidence intervals; treatment duration was unspecified.
What researchers found
Insomnia severity: standardized mean difference
Lower severity with insomnia-focused therapy versus usual treatment after treatment; the interval shows uncertainty. Evidence certainty was low.
Separate outcomes matter
The review evaluated insomnia severity and overall schizophrenia symptoms as separate main outcomes. This distinction matters because an improvement in the sleep measure does not establish a change in the underlying psychiatric condition.
Understanding the size
Standard deviations express differences relative to score variability. The negative estimate means lower insomnia severity with therapy; it does not represent points on the original insomnia questionnaire.
The original publication
Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia in people with schizophrenia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Furukawa Y, Salahuddin NH, Mao J et al.
J Psychiatr Res · 2025
- PubMed ID
- 41061442
- Record checked
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