Treatment of cognitive impairments is feasible in both early-course and chronic schizophrenia, but the clinical meaningfulness and generalization to functioning appear to be more substantial when delivered early. Cognitive remediation should be considered a tool for early intervention in schizophrenia.

Cognitive rehabilitative programs for serious mental illness that rely on computer-based training for neuroplasticity should ensure opportunities for active skill development and therapist-supported techniques to overcome challenges with generalizing cognitive effects to everyday outcomes. (PsycINFO Database Record

Neurocognitive impairments are observed in depression and associated with poor functioning. This study examined the efficacy and the effectiveness of cognitive remediation with supplemental Internet-based homework in treatment-resistant depression. Participants were randomized to treatment or wait list control conditions. Treatment consisted of 10 weeks of weekly group sessions and daily online cognitive exercises completed at home. The participants were assessed on cognitive, mood, motivation, and functioning measures. There was a significant time by treatment interaction for attention/processing speed and verbal memory. Changes in functioning were not significant, although improved cognition predicted improvements in functioning. Number of minutes of online exercise was associated with greater cognitive improvements. Cognitive deficits are malleable with behavioral treatment in a mood disorder characterized by severe and persistent symptoms.

No abstract

Current couples approaches to the treatment of depression show considerable promise for some couples, but have substantial room for improvement – in terms of efficacy as well as applicability and acceptability to a broader population. Although conjoint approaches have been shown to be efficacious in reducing couple distress and are possibly efficacious in ameliorating depression that co‐occurs with couple distress, methodological problems hamper generalization from the published findings. Therefore, it is not clear that most depressed persons are likely to benefit from currently available conjoint formats. Most basically, there may often be obstacles that prevent or delay partner involvement, highlighting the need for treatments that can enhance relationship functioning without relying on a conjoint format. Existing treatment delivery systems may also fail to reach a considerable segment of the population. Developing a more flexible set of options for implementing couple‐focused treatment, as well as rethinking dominant assumptions about depression, may be integral to extending the viability of couples therapy for depression.

Acts of intimate partner violence (IPV) and abuse of nonhuman animals are common, harmful, and co-occurring phenomena. Th e aim of the present study was to identify perpetrator subtypes based on variable paths hypothesized to infl uence physical violence toward both partners and nonhuman animals: (a) callousness and instrumental representations of aggression and (b) rejectionsensitivity and expressive representations of aggression. Strong associations emerged between callousness and instrumental representations and between rejection-sensitivity and expressive representations. For males, callousness directly predicted both IPV and animal abuse. For females, rejection-sensitivity predicted IPV. Instrumental representations mediated the relationship between callousness and animal abuse for females but not for males. Results suggest that IPV and animal abuse functionally interconnect, that perpetration of animal abuse may diff er in function across gender, and that identifying distinct pathways to violence may facilitate violence prediction and prevention.

People with mood disorders experience cognitive impairments that are predictive of functional disability. Cognitive remediation (CR) is an empirically validated intervention that is designed to remediate neurocognitive deficits and improve functioning. Although much of the focus of this treatment during the last decade has centred on attention deficit disorders, brain injury, and schizophrenia spectrum disorders, emerging evidence suggests that CR is an effective intervention for mood disorders and that these treatment effects translate into improvements in cognitive performance and possibly functioning. Our review aims to examine the profile and magnitude of cognitive impairments in mood disorders, review the evidence in support of CR for this population, and discuss future research directions in CR.

Background Many individuals with schizophrenia experience remission of prominent positive symptoms but continue to experience impairments in real world functioning. Residual negative and depressive symptoms may have a direct impact on functioning and impair patients’ ability to use the cognitive and functional skills that they possess (competence) in the real world (functional performance). Methods 136 individuals (100 men, 36 women) with schizophrenia were classified as having primarily positive symptoms, primarily negative symptoms, primarily depressive symptoms, or undifferentiated symptom profiles. Performance based measures of cognition and adaptive and interpersonal functional competence were used, along with ratings of real world behavior by high contact clinicians. Assessments were performed at baseline and at an 18-month follow-up. Results The relationships between neurocognition and capacity / performance were not moderated by symptom group ps > .091; neurocognition predicted capacity and performance for all groups ps < .001. The relationship between adaptive competence and adaptive performance was moderated by symptom group, ps < .01, such that baseline competence only predicted future performance ratings for participants with primarily positive or undifferentiated symptoms, and not for individuals with primarily negative or depressive symptoms. This same moderation effect was found on the relationship between interpersonal competence and interpersonal performance, ps < .002. Conclusions Residual negative and depressive symptoms are distinct constructs that impede the use of functional skills in the real world. Depressive symptoms are often overlooked in schizophrenia but appear to be an important factor that limits the use of functional ability in real world environments.