Byline: B. Chavan, Subhash. Das Mental illness (MI) not only afflicts the individual, but it has widespread ramification that affects the families and even the community. Chronic MI like schizophrenia and bipolar disorders can incapacitate an individual to such an extent that even the routine activities of daily living becomes difficult, and in fact, these two disorders together are among the top 10 causes of disability-adjusted life years for the 15–44 years old population (WHO report 2001).[sup][1] Such chronic illnesses also result in an enormous burden on the caregivers as reported by several studies.[sup][2],[3],[4] In fact, a large part of caregivers' burden is due to the deficits that persist even after recovery from acute symptoms of MI.[sup][3] Although, antipsychotic medication is effective during the acute phase of MI, these medicines do not have much beneficial effect on cognition and social skill deficits and a large number of such patients, even after recovery from positive symptoms of illness, continue to have cognitive dysfunctions as well as significant social and vocational disability leading to poor functional recovery and poor quality-of-life.[sup][5],[6] Thus, all these factors cumulatively make the rehabilitation of these patients a very challenging task. Where medicines have negligible role, nonpharmacological interventions like cognitive remediation (CR) and social skill training (SST) have shown moderate amount of success in improving the condition of the patients having significant amount of cognitive and socio-occupational dysfunctions. In 25 independent, randomized controlled trials of CR, the majority of the studies have demonstrated positive changes in attention, speed of processing, working memory, and executive functioning in the persons with schizophrenia.[5] A review has even reported about the benefits of CR in improving the social and vocational functioning in individuals with schizophrenia.[sup][7] However, one study also reports that there is no benefit of CR on cognition.[sup][5] Taken together, the findings of these studies show a modest level of improvement in the basic neurocognitive functioning following CR in individuals having schizophrenia.[sup][5] SST has been found to be quite promising in rectifying the social skill deficits due to chronic MI.[sup][8] Even in studies on enhancing the vocational skills of people with chronic MI, some amount of success has been reported. Intervention model like “supported employment” have been shown to be effective for people with chronic MI and those who have found long.term placement through supported employment had shown improvement in cognition, quality.of.life, and symptom management.[sup][8] Although, the initiatives to rehabilitate people with MI have been undertaken in different parts of the world, however, the outcome is not the same. The limitations like lack of trained manpower, inadequate rehabilitation.focused training in psychiatry, poor interest in this sub.specialty, limited resources for research on nonpharmacological interventions, longer duration of interventions before results become apparent, like for example in SST[sup][8],[9] and strong advertisement by the pharmaceutical companies to promote a pill for every deficit could be major factors for such a varied outcome. Thus, pharmacological intervention alone may not be adequate treatment, and even the caregivers feel that the majority of mental health facilities lack rehabilitation services and support that could help their patients regain skills for independent living.[sup][10] In developing countries, psychiatric rehabilitation is still in its infancy, and there are negligible rehabilitation facilities.[sup][9] Like in India, whatever rehabilitation facilities are available, these are being run primarily by nongovernment organizations (NGOs) and these facilities are not readily accessible to the trainees in metal health and most of them charge fees for their services. …