Teaching schizophrenic patients recreational, residential and vocational skills

Abstract

Three therapy programs have recently been devised as a further development of the Integrated Psychological Therapy (IPT) for patients with schizophrenia. They offer targeted and structured behavior therapy in residential, vocational and recreational activity-three areas of rehabilitation which have been neglected in Europe, despite evidence from numerous prospective and retrospective studies showing severe impairment in these areas of psychosocial functioning in schizophrenia. The three therapy programs, aimed at enabling patients to lead more independent and satisfying lives in the community, have shown promise but need further research for their empirical validation.