The Swiss International Foundation (IF) is funding a research project led by Prof. Dr Dusan Hirjak, Managing Assistant Medical Director in the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at the CIMH, and Dr Urs Braun, Head of the Diagnostic and Admission Centre at the CIMH. The project follows the approach of propsychotherapeutic psychopharmacology and examines the efficacy of combined therapies. Patients participating in this clinical trial will receive either oxytocin in combination with treatment in the Soteria or intensive cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) at home. 

Learning to cope better with crises

In the Soteria, patients live in an environment that is more like a residential community than a clinic during their stay of several weeks. They spend most of their time in the community and are exposed to intensive social contacts. Patients receiving CBT will be visited at home and treated by a medical or psychological psychotherapist. In both treatment arms, patients will learn to better manage their daily lives and to deal better with crises. With the help of CBT, patients will also be taught a number of skills that will help them deal with their symptoms and difficulties during their daily lives. 

Enhanced effect expected through oxytocin

In the study, oxytocin is used as a supplement to investigate whether the effects of a positive social environment during treatment lead to an improvement in symptoms. Oxytocin is a neurotransmitter produced by the body itself and is involved in many social processes such as social interaction, perception and bonding through its effect in the brain. By combining the prosocial oxytocin with therapeutic interventions that act through social interaction, the two researchers expect a significant increase in the effect of both therapeutic measures.
International Foundation (IF) is a Swiss, independent and non-profit foundation. The Foundation is committed to a more just, responsible, inclusive and supportive world. Believing in the right to equal opportunity and in the universality of human potential, the Foundation aims to provide opportunities for all and to initiate positive circles of impact beyond the activities it supports.