Treatment of Cognitive Dysfunctions and Behavioral Deficits in Schizophrenia

Abstract

Integrated Psychological Therapy (IPT) is a structured intervention program that prescribes steps to remediate cognitive and behavioral dysfunctions that are characteristic of the psychopathology of schizophrenia. Evaluative studies of IPT indicated that the program improved schizophrenic patients' elementary cognitive processes such as attention, abstraction, and concept formation but that patients' performance was still below the normal range. The clinical utility of IPT will depend on studies that document the hierarchical generalization of improvements from the cognitive to the social and symptomatic levels of functioning.

Neuropsychological predictors of functional outcome in Cognitive Behavioral Social Skills Training for older people with schizophrenia

“…Some researchers (Brenner et al 1992;Perris and Skagerlind 1994) have described two broad categories of cognitive interventions for schizophrenia: Cognitive remediation, which focuses on rehabilitation of specific cognitive functions (e.g., memory, attention), and CBT, which trains participants to use metacognitive strategies to identify and challenge unhelpful or inaccurate thoughts. Perris and Skagerlind (Perris and Skagerlind 1994) point out that these areas of intervention have several factors in common and may lie on a continuum from more 'molecular' to more 'molar' cognitive rehabilitation approaches.…”

“…Other cognitive mechanisms, like changing dysfunctional performance beliefs (e.g., "Why bother, I will fail" or "It's too hard; not worth the effort") through cognitive therapy, may have contributed to improvement in functional outcome. Changing these cognitions may not require changing underlying basic neurocognitive abilities.Some researchers (Brenner et al 1992;Perris and Skagerlind 1994) have described two broad categories of cognitive interventions for schizophrenia: Cognitive remediation, which focuses on rehabilitation of specific cognitive functions (e.g., memory, attention), and CBT, which trains participants to use metacognitive strategies to identify and challenge unhelpful or inaccurate thoughts. Perris and Skagerlind (Perris and Skagerlind 1994) point out that these areas of intervention have several factors in common and may lie on a continuum from more 'molecular' to more 'molar' cognitive rehabilitation approaches.…”

Psychosocial rehabilitation: Approach of choice for those with serious mental illnesses

“…Various techniques have been synthesized to create a systematic process that involves clients in leading their own rehabilitation. For example, cognitive approaches helped orient people to each rehabilitation activity [88], client-centered psychotherapies contributed to the relationship-building process [89], and educational psychology contributed techniques related to skill teaching and coaching [90]. In essence, practitioners develop a personal connection with clients to facilitate or teach them how to-• Assess their own readiness for change.…”

Funcionamiento cognitivo y calidad de vida en la esquizofrenia

“…Brenner y cols (24) , plantean un modelo en el que las interrelaciones entre los déficits cognitivos y sociales pueden ser representadas como dos cír-culos viciosos; en un primer circulo, las deficiencias cognitivas más elementales (atención y memoria) interfieren con el rendimiento del nivel siguiente (planificación ejecutiva), lo que a su vez, dificulta la función del nivel anterior. Este espiral, lleva al deterioro de la percepción y a una respuesta social desadaptada, formando un segundo circulo, en que la disfunción cognitiva impide el desarrollo de habilidades de afrontamiento interpersonal, dejando al sujeto más vulnerable aún al estrés social e impidiendo la adquisición de nuevos conocimientos.…”