W04-01 - Psychosocial functioning - relationship to ICF

Abstract

Schizophrenia and other serious mental illnesses (SMI) are most accurately conceptualized as chronic conditions, in which pattern of functioning rather than diagnosis is often most important in determining what services are needed at any given time. People with SMI have lost the ability to carry out daily tasks, live independently, work, have interpersonal relationships, and engage in leisure pursuits. Much of the focus of treatment is based on needs assessment in these areas rather than on the diagnostic category. To demonstrate how WHO's International Classification of Functioning Disability and Health (ICF) can provide a framework for treatment planning, defining goals, assessing progress and outcomes, and allocating resources for people with SMI. To analyze the ability of the ICF to reflect the functional problems, treatment goals and outcomes of major psychosocial rehabilitation approaches for people with schizophrenia and other forms of SMI. Extended clinical examples will be provided to illustrate the potential application of the ICF in this context. The goals and outcomes of psychosocial rehabilitation approaches including training related to social skills, independent living skills, occupational skills, and illness/wellness management and other approaches such as family-based treatment, neurocognitive therapy, and environmental engineering are a good fit with the conceptual structure, content and descriptive, individualized nature of the ICF. The ICF provides an internationally recognized basis for the specification of treatment goals, evaluation parameters, and health care outcomes, including specific characteristics of mental disorders and broader functional issues likely to be treatment's most important goals.