Psychological interventions for persons with auditory hallucination in Low-and Middle-Income Countries: A scoping review.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this scoping review is to identify and describe a synthesis of psychological interventions to reduce auditory hallucinations in persons with psychosis in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMIC), and examine the effectiveness of these intervention.

METHODOLOGY: This scoping review followed Arksey and O'Malley's framework. We searched MEDLINE (Pubmed), Embase, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Psyndex databases for sources published in English between 2015 and 2025 related to interventions on auditory hallucinations in Low- and Middle-Income Countries.

RESULTS

Three psychological interventions were identified; Cognitive-behaviour Therapy for Psychosis, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and Music interventions. The intervention was delivered by psychologist. The outcome of these interventions was noted to reduce voice-related distress levels and this sustained during follow-up assessments. Adapting these interventions to the native language and culturally specific examples resulted in lower attrition rates.

CONCLUSION

To better understand the effectiveness of psychological interventions for mental health issues in LMICs, targeted research and multi-side studies are crucial. Engaging additional mental health professionals, such as nurses and occupational therapists, can enhance the effectiveness of these interventions.