Dr. M.Sc. Matthias Pillny

Negative symptoms in schizophrenia, cognitive and emotional components of amotivation, diagnosis of negative symptoms

Böge, K., Bergmann, N., Hahne, I., Emde, L., Cartner, S., Bell, I., Pillny, M., & Thomas, N. (2025). Feasibility, acceptability and preliminary clinical outcomes of a brief coping-focused intervention for delusions blended with smartphone-based ecological momentary assessment and intervention in persons with schizophrenia spectrum disorders: A pilot single-arm trial. Internet Interventions, 39, 100804. doi: 10.1016/j.invent.2025.100804.

Jaya, E. S., Novrianto, R., Pillny, M., & Wiguna, T. (2024). Indonesian patient health questionnaire's clinical utility in psychiatric outpatients: Ruling out conditions per icd-11 criteria. Asian Journal of Psychiatry, 104184. doi: 10.1016/j.ajp.2024.104184.

Lincoln, T.M., Schlier, B., Müller, R., Hayward, M., Fladung, A.-K., Bergmann, N., Böge, K., Gallinat, J., Mahlke, C., Gonther, U., Lang, T., Exner, C., Buchholz, A., Stahlmann, K., Zapf, A., Rauch, G., Pillny, M. (2024). Reducing distress from auditory verbal hallucinations: A multicentre, parallel, single-blind, randomised controlled feasibility trial of Relating Therapy. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 93:328–339. doi: 10.1159/000539809.

Pillny, M., Hallford, D., & Böge, K., (2024). The nature of mental imagery and its relationship with amotivational psychopathology in people with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders. Behavior Therapy, 55(4) 885-897. doi: 10.1016/j.beth.2024.01.009.

Böge, K., Hallford, D., & Pillny, M. (2023). Mindfulness, Psychological Flexibility and Psychopathology in Persons with Schizophrenia-Spectrum-Disorders and Healthy Controls – A Multicenter Cross-sectional Study. Psychiatry Research, 330, 115591. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2023.115591.

Schlier, B.*, Buck, L.*, Müller, R., Lincoln, T., Bott, A. & Pillny, M. (2023). Time-dependent effect of antipsychotic discontinuation and dose reduction on social functioning and subjective quality of life - A multilevel meta-analysis. eClinicalMedicine, 65, 102291. doi: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2023.102291. (PDF)

* shared first authorship

Schormann, A. L., Pillny, M., Haß, K., & Lincoln, T. M. (2023). “Goals in Focus”—a targeted CBT approach for motivational negative symptoms of psychosis: study protocol for a randomized-controlled feasibility trial. Pilot and Feasibility Studies, 9(1), article 72. doi: 10.1186/s40814-023-01284-4. 

Schneider, B. C., Rahmede, M., Pillny, M., Karow, A., Moritz, S., & Veckenstedt, R. (2023). In the eyes of the beholders: Subjective experiences of positive symptoms among patients with symptoms of psychosis seeking psychotherapy. Schizophrenia Research, 254, 14-21. doi: 10.1016/j.schres.2022.12.025.

Cella, M., Roberts, S., Pillny, M., Riehle, M., O'Donoghue, B., Lyne, J., Tomlin, P., Valmaggia, L., & Preti, A. (2023). Psychosocial and behavioural interventions for the negative symptoms of schizophrenia: a systematic review of efficacy meta-analyses. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 223(1), 321-331. doi: 10.1192/bjp.2023.21.

Riehle, M., Pillny, M., & Lincoln, T. M. (2022). Expanding the Positivity Offset Theory of Anhedonia to the Psychosis spectrum. Schizophrenia, 8, 47. doi: 10.1038/s41537-022-00251-x. 1-10.

Renz, K. E., Pillny, M., & Lincoln, T. M. (2022). Increasing motivation in effort-based decision-making tasks: effects of salience and reward expectancy manipulations. Cognitive Neuropsychiatry, 27, 20-34. doi: 10.1080/13546805.2021.2007068.

Pillny, M., & Lincoln, T. M. (2022). Schizophrenie. In M. Linden & M. Hautzinger (Eds.), Verhaltenstherapiemanual: Erwachsene (9 ed., pp. 565-573). Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-3-662-62298-8_92.

Pillny, M., Krkovic, K., Buck, L. & Lincoln, T.M. (2022). From memories of past experiences to present motivation? A meta-analysis on the association between episodic memory and negative symptoms in people with psychosis. Schizophrenia Bulletin, 48(2), 307-324. doi: 10.1093/schbul/sbab120.

Jaya, E.S., Pillny, M., Riehle, M. & Lincoln, T. (2022). Does social defeat cause negative symptoms? A prospective study in a multi-national community sample. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 113, 152289. doi: 10.1016/j.comppsych.2021.152289.

Lincoln, T.M., Pillny, M., Schlier, B. & Hayward, M. (2021). RELATE - A randomized controlled trial of a Relating Therapy module for distressing auditory verbal hallucinations: A study protocol. BMJ Open, 11:e046390. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-046390.

Pillny, M., Krkovic, K., Buck, L., & Lincoln, T. M. (2021). From Memories of Past Experiences to Present Motivation ? A Meta-analysis on the Association Between Episodic Memory and Negative Symptoms in People With Psychosis. Schizophrenia Bulletin, 1–18. doi: 10.1093/schbul/sbab120

Koch, T., Rottstegge, M., Ruibal, P., Gomez-Medina, S., Nelson, E. V., Escudero-Pérez, B., Pillny, M., Ly, M. L., Koundouno, F., Bore, J. A., Magassouba, N., Dahlke, C., Günther, S., Carroll, M. W., Addo, M. M., & Muñoz-Fontela, C. (2020). Ebola Virus Disease Survivors Show More Efficient Antibody Immunity than Vaccinees Despite Similar Levels of Circulating Immunoglobulins. Viruses, 12, 915. doi: 10.3390/v12090915.

Pillny, M. & Lincoln, T. M. (2020). Update kognitive Verhaltenstherapie bei Psychosen: Standardinterventionen, aktuelle Weiterentwicklungen und ihre Evidenz. Zeitschrift Psychotherapie, 25, 67–94. doi: 10.30820.2364-1517.2020-1-67.

Pillny, M. & Lincoln, T.M. (2020). Moderne kognitive Verhaltenstherapie bei psychotischen Störungen. Der Nervenarzt, 91(1), 43-49. doi: 10.1007/s00115-019-00831-w.

Pillny, M. & Lincoln, T.M. (2020). The demotivating effect of social exclusion: An experimental test of a psychosocial model on the development of negative symptoms in psychosis. Schizophrenia Research, 215, 330-336. doi: 10.1016/j.schres.2019.10.005.

Pillny, M., Schlier, B., & Lincoln, T. M. (2020). “I just don’t look forward to anything”. How anticipatory pleasure and negative beliefs contribute to goal-directed activity in patients with negative symptoms of psychosis. Schizophrenia Research, 222, 429-436. doi: 10.1016/j.schres.2020.03.059.

Pillny, M., Schlier, B., & Lincoln, T. M. (2019). S-01-004: I just can’t look forward to anything; the role of anticipatory pleasure and beliefs for goal-directed activity in patients with psychosis. European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience, 269(S1), 1–101. do: 10.1007/s00406-019-01045-6

Pillny, M., Krkovic, K., & Lincoln, T. M. (2018). Development of the Demotivating Beliefs Inventory and Test of the Cognitive Triad of Amotivation. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 42, 867–877. doi: 10.1007/s10608-018-9940-7

Riehle, M., Pillny, M., & Lincoln, T. M. (2017a). Ist Negativsymptomatik bei Schizophrenie überhaupt behandelbar? Ein systematisches Literaturreview zur Wirksamkeit psychotherapeutischer Interventionen für Negativsymptomatik. Verhaltenstherapie, 27, 199–208. doi: 10.1159/000478534

Riehle, M., Pillny, M., & Lincoln, T. M. (2017b). Are the negative symptoms of schizophrenia treatable at all? A systematic review on efficacy studies for targeted psychological interventions for negative symptoms. Verhaltenstherapie, 27, 199–208. Retrieved from http://ovidsp.ovid.com/ovidweb.cgi?T=JS&CSC=Y&NEWS=N&PAGE=fulltext&D=psyc14&AN=2017-38804-008

Lincoln, T. M., Riehle, M., Pillny, M., Helbig-Lang, S., Fladung, A. K., Hartmann-Riemer, M., & Kaiser, S. (2017). Using functional analysis as a framework to guide individualized treatment for negative symptoms. Frontiers in Psychology, 8(DEC). doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.02108

Pillny, M., & Lincoln, T. M. (2016). Predictors of improved functioning in patients with psychosis: The role of amotivation and defeatist performance beliefs. Psychiatry Research, 244, 117–122. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2016.07.018

Conference contributions:

Pillny & Lincoln (2016) DGPS Fachgruppentagung - Wodurch lässt sich die Verbesserung des sozialen Funktionsniveaus von Patienten mit Schizophrenie vorhersagen? Poster contribution

Pillny & Lincoln (2017) DGPS Fachgruppentagung - Soziale ausgrenzung und Amotivation bei psychotischen Störungen. Experimentelle Prüfung eines Vulnerabilitäts-Stress Modells. Talk

Riehle, Pillny, & Lincoln (2017) DGPS Fachgruppentagung - Der Teufelskreis von sozialem Ausschluss und sozialem Rückzug. Ein möglicher Aufrechterhaltungsmechanismus der Negativsymptomatik bei Schizophrenie. Poster contribution

Riehle, Pillny, Buggisch, & Lincoln (2017) European Conference on Schizophrenia Research - The efficacy of psyachological treatments for people with negative symptoms. Talk

Science programme scobel, 2024/02/22

Podcast Deutschlandfunk Kultur, The inner voice: Friend or foe in my head? 2023/11/30

• Local Ethics Committee of the Faculty of Psychology and Human Movement Science, University of Hamburg
• Master's Thesis Funding Committee of the Faculty of Psychology and Human Movement Science, University of Hamburg
• Steering Committee of the European Negative Symptoms Research Network
• Advisory board member of the BA-ME study on how to improve cognitive functioning in people recovered from depression (PI: Prof Dr Marie José van Tol) at the University of Groningen
• Member of the interest group METASYN - Meta-analytical Psychotherapy Research and Evidence Synthesis. Interest group within the German Psychological Society  (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Psychologie, DGPs)