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Since the 1990s, a general reflection has gradually evolved in Italy on the effects of the transformation of psychiatry from being mainly institutional to more community-oriented. Increasingly substantial epidemiological studies and processes of outcome evaluations have focused not only on the clinical aspects, but also on the social and functional level (quality of life, care needs, users’ satisfaction for the treatments received). With a certain delay compared to the Anglo-Saxon countries, in recent years, several elements of the concept of recovery have also increasingly emerged in Italy: hope, expectations, self-esteem, self-efficacy, awareness, personal autonomy, and dignity. The present article describes the most relevant experiences conducted in Italy in the latest years developing a recovery-oriented approach in psychiatry, in different areas: methodology, peer support, education, services transformation, and research. In particular, the Italian Study on Recovery (SIR) is described, a research conducted in the “real world” of service-users of Italian mental health services and their family members. Its quantitative part consists of the validation of the Italian translation of the Recovery Assessment Scale (RAS) and its efficacy in identifying persons in recovery (after University of California–Los Angeles [UCLA] criteria). The qualitative research spotlights the experiences and values of services users in recovery and their families. Conclusions focus on the importance of reshaping psychiatric services based on the principles of recovery and on how this transformation should be guided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Training patients in structured problem solving strategies is one of the oldest cognitive behavioural therapy methods. Recent social, psychological and neuropsychiatric research provides a multifactorial rationale for methods that strengthen patients' ability to carry out stepwise problem solving in their real life problems. Aim: This paper reviews the rationale for Problem Solving Training with reference to recent biomedical and psychosocial research and describes several preliminary studies of its benefits. Method: A four-phase programme of 24 weekly or bi-weekly lessons in small groups begins with patient's pratical everyday problems before moving to gradually more complex and emotionally charged interpersonal, personal and crisis issues in an attempt to restore generic problem solving abilities and improve long-term recovery from schizophrenia. Results: Preliminary outcome studies show promising outcomes on a reduction in rehospitalizations as well as clinical, social and neurocognitive measures and a multi-centred randomized controlled study in progess. Conclusions: Renewed interest in cognitive functioning, including social problem solving skills and social cognition in schizophrenia has led us to reconsider the potential value of cognitive-behavioural problem solving training as a rehabilitation strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: it has been widely proved that cognitive dysfunctions are a primary characteristic of schizophrenia. Major alterations have been identified in attention, memory and executive functions in this population. The rehabilitative treatment adopted and discussed in this study stems from numerous previous investigations which indicate a link between impairment of cognitive function and both a relatively more severe functional outcome and more seriously impaired psychosocial functioning in patients who have received a diagnosis of schizophrenia. The aim of this study was to appraise the possible effects of a specific music therapy protocol on specific components of attention and memory in schizophrenic patients. The therapy protocol discussed in this work, the Sound Training for Attention and Memory (STAM) protocol, was developed by Enrico Ceccato and Paolo Caneva. Method: The study is a pre-post experimental design with a control group matched for clinical characteristics. Sixteen patients were divided into two groups of eight people each. The experimental group was exposed to the STAM method and the control group participated in a series of improvisational music therapy sessions. Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT), Wechsler Memory Scale (WMS) and the Life Skills Profile (LSP) were used to appraise the effectiveness of the training. Results: the subjects who were exposed to the STAM protocol significantly improved their performance on the WMS (p=0.01) and the LSP (p=0.01). The control group scores were seen to improve only on the LSP (p=0.04). Conclusions: The result indicate the efficiency of STAM as an intervention method for improving memory and skills in clients with schizophrena, yet the small number of subjects involved does not allow us to generalize the results obtained, and more data should be collected before claiming that the STAM protocol is in fact effective for the purpose for which it was designed. The study may however be considered as a good starting point for further work on the method discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]