The Effectiveness of Positive Psychology Based Intervention on Anhedonia, and Internalized Stigma among Schizophrenic Patients

Schizophrenia is a complex mental disorder that complicates daily life for those affected. It includesanhedonia, which hinders social interactions and presents a major challenge to treatments. Furthermore,many experience internalized stigma, which heightens their psychological and social isolation. Purpose:To investigate the effectiveness of positive psychology-based intervention on anhedonia and internalizedstigma among schizophrenic patients. Methods: A quasi-experimental design (pre- and post-tests)alongside a control group was employed. A purposive sample of 60 schizophrenic patients who had ascore less than 3 on the Snaith-Hamilton Pleasure Scale were chosen and randomly assigned into twogroups. This study has been carried out at the Meet-Khalaf Psychiatric and Addiction TreatmentHospital's psychiatric outpatient clinic. The data were collected using the structured interviewingquestionnaire, the internalized stigma of mental illness inventory (ISMI), the mini-mental stateexamination scale (MMSE), and the Snaith Hamilton pleasure scale (SHAPS).Results: illustrate thatthere was a significant difference found between the case and control group regarding dimensions ofanhedonia (SHAPS) and levels of internalized stigma of mental illness both immediately and 2 monthsfollowing the intervention (P<0.001). Also, results revealed a highly statistically significant positivecorrelation was found between the internalized stigma of mental illness and anhedonia (SHAPS) scores.Conclusion: The findings concluded that the anhedonia and the internalized stigma of mental illness areall greatly improved by positive psychology-based interventions for individuals with schizophrenia.Recommendation: Apart from medication remedies, positive psychology-based interventions must beincluded in the regular treatment plan for people with schizophrenia.