SCHIZOPHRENIA: A CLOSER LOOK 

Minerva Psichiatrica 2012 September;53(3):217-31

Copyright © 2012 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Psychosocial treatments in schizophrenia: update and future directions

Schmidt S. J., Roder V.

University Hospital of Psychiatry, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland

Schizophrenia is the third leading cause of disability in young adults worldwide. Less than 50% of schizophrenia patients have access to appropriate care. In addition to symptom remission, functional recovery demands successful mastery of everyday life, comprising quality of life and satisfaction as well as an adequate level of social integration in work, living, and leisure. This clearly underlines the importance of psychosocial interventions to target these unmet needs. Available psychosocial interventions include psychoeducation and family therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy for positive symptoms, social competence approaches and cognitive remediation therapy. We review these approaches and discuss the empirical evidence for their efficacy, limitations and future directions.