The introduction of antipsychotic agents in the 1950’s substantially improved the treatment of schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders. However, clinical and functional outcomes are still far less than optimal for patients, and have not improved in recent years despite the development of several new antipsychotics. Efficacy rates are further compromised by medication non-adherence, which has been reported to affect more than half of patients. In response to these issues, several non-pharmacological interventions have been developed for the treatment of schizophrenia, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, cognitive remediation, social cognition training and metacognitive approaches.
Although these interventions have produced promising results, there is still much controversy regarding their usefulness and applicability in clinical practice. A major impeding factor for the dissemination for such interventions is possibly a lack of sufficient evidence regarding their specific indications, mechanisms of action, adverse effects, or practical issues such as outcome variables and confounding factors in efficacy studies. The present Research Topic welcomes original research articles and reviews addressing these issues. We aim to provide a venue for a fruitful exchange of ideas among researchers representing different approaches, and thereby hopefully contribute to providing clarity in this expanding field of research and inform decisions as to when and how a particular approach should be applied in the clinical setting.
The introduction of antipsychotic agents in the 1950’s substantially improved the treatment of schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders. However, clinical and functional outcomes are still far less than optimal for patients, and have not improved in recent years despite the development of several new antipsychotics. Efficacy rates are further compromised by medication non-adherence, which has been reported to affect more than half of patients. In response to these issues, several non-pharmacological interventions have been developed for the treatment of schizophrenia, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, cognitive remediation, social cognition training and metacognitive approaches.
Although these interventions have produced promising results, there is still much controversy regarding their usefulness and applicability in clinical practice. A major impeding factor for the dissemination for such interventions is possibly a lack of sufficient evidence regarding their specific indications, mechanisms of action, adverse effects, or practical issues such as outcome variables and confounding factors in efficacy studies. The present Research Topic welcomes original research articles and reviews addressing these issues. We aim to provide a venue for a fruitful exchange of ideas among researchers representing different approaches, and thereby hopefully contribute to providing clarity in this expanding field of research and inform decisions as to when and how a particular approach should be applied in the clinical setting.
