Treatment Approaches for Attention Deficits in Schizophrenia

Abstract

Among many cognitive deficits associated with schizophrenia, attention impairments dominate the clinical description of the illness. Attention plays a critical role in daily and psychosocial functioning. For instance, attention is required to converse with others or to perform vocational activities successfully. This paper attempts to describe computerassisted and behavior therapy-based interventions, discuss assumptions underlying both approaches, synthesize findings on efficacy of these treatments, and compare interventions in terms of generalization and effectiveness.