Current Status of Cognitive Remediation for Psychiatric Disorders: A Review

Summary & key facts

This review looks at cognitive remediation (CR), which are training methods meant to improve thinking skills in people with psychiatric disorders. It notes that thinking problems are common and hurt daily life. Over the past 50 years the evidence for CR has grown, with the clearest support for treating schizophrenia and more recent applications to depression, bipolar disorder, ADHD, and anorexia nervosa. The paper also defines CR, reviews current evidence, and describes major CR programs and future research directions.

Key facts:

• Cognitive problems are common in many psychiatric disorders and can reduce daily functioning and quality of life.
• Researchers have worked on methods to improve cognition for about 50 years.
• Empirical evidence accumulated over time supports the efficacy of cognitive remediation for treating schizophrenia.
• Cognitive remediation has more recently been used successfully in depressive disorders, bipolar disorder, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and anorexia nervosa.
• The review aimed to provide a modern definition of cognitive remediation, summarize the current empirical evidence, and describe representative CR programs used around the world.
• The authors suggest that improving cognition could lead to better quality of life and vocational (work-related) functioning, but this is presented as an expected benefit rather than a definitive proven outcome.

Abstract

Cognition is an important factor that affects daily functioning and quality of life. Impairment in cognitive function is a common symptom present in various ...

Topics

Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes Mental Health Research Topics Schizophrenia research and treatment

Categories

Health Sciences Medicine Psychiatry and Mental health

Tags

Anorexia nervosa Bipolar disorder Clinical psychology Cognition Cognitive remediation therapy Cognitive skill Eating disorders Medicine Psychiatry Psychology Psychotherapist Quality of life (healthcare) Schizophrenia (object-oriented programming)