Are there new therapies for a boy, age 22, with schizophrenia?Answered by:Alice Medalia
New therapies are always being developed for people with schizophrenia.
Broadly speaking, therapies can be divided into pharamacologic and behavioral. The treating psychiatrist would be an excellent person to ask about the latest pharmacologic interventions and whether any would be indicated.
In terms of behavioral interventions, there are now therapies that focus on the social and cognitive problems that people with schizophrenia experience. These therapies are called cognitive remediation and social cognition training. While not new, it is also important to remember interventions like supportive employment, and supportive education, which are intended to help people reach their vocational and educational goals.
Finally, cognitive behavioral therapy is being used to address symptoms like delusions, paranoia, and hallucinations. Recovery based therapy programs typically offer an array of behavioral treatments that are designed to give people the skills to manage their illness and reach their personal goals.
Alice Medalia, Ph.D.
Director of Psychiatric Rehabilitation
Alice Medalia, Ph.D. is an international leader in the field of psychiatric rehabilitation, who focuses on the treatment of neuropsychological disorders in psychiatric illness. She developed the widely used NEAR (Neuropsychological & Educational Approach to Remediation) model to help people with mental illness improve their thinking skills in such areas as attention, memory, processing speed and problem solving. She lectures and consults to agencies worldwide and conducts training workshops for clinicians who want to learn how to provide cognitive remediation to psychiatric patients. Dr Medali...
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