Background Emotional management therapy (EMT) aims to improve handling of emotional stress in schizophrenia. It consists of two sub-programmes: the first includes relaxation techniques, the second stress coping skills.
Method A pilot study of EMT in 19 patients with early psychosis produced positive results and a post-hoc study of 16 patients was commenced.
Results EMT showed positive results, with chronic patients improving more than patients with early psychosis.
Conclusion EMT can be effective in early psychosis, especially for cognitive functioning.