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Background: The achievement of recovery is related to the notion of developing personal potential and restoring a legitimate social role, even against the backdrop of mental illness limitations. It is still difficult to fully understand this highly subjective and dynamic process. Therefore, in order to test the recovery process, specific tools, still only marginally used in our country, are needed. Aims: The Italian Study on Recovery is the first study aimed at confirming the validity of the Italian version of the Recovery Assessment Scale (RAS), an instrument developed with the goal of detecting recovery among patients. Method: This multicentric research involved several Mental Health Services from various parts of Italy. The first phase of the study consisted in the administration of the Italian translation of RAS, previously used in a pilot study conducted in 2009. RAS was administered to 219 patients diagnosed with psychosis, whose mental disorder lasted for at least 5 years. Results: Findings supported the good psychometric properties of the Italian version of RAS, demonstrating its capability of identifying patients matching the "in recovery" operational criteria. Conclusions: In consideration of the results highlighting the good psychometric properties of RAS, the present study may contribute to the diffusion of instruments to be included in Mental Health Service planning in the Italian context, in order to start a recovery-oriented transformation. [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]

The article investigates problem-solving skills for cognitive rehabilitation among persons with chronic psychotic disorders in Italy. Indications showed that teaching mentally ill individuals how to identify and cope with their real-life problems yields substantial clinical improvements. Out of this notion, the researchers established a structured problem-solving group in a day treatment center.

Background: Quality of working life includes elements such as autonomy, trust, ergonomics, participation, job complexity, and work-life balance. The overarching aim of this study was to investigate if and how quality of working life affects Compassion Fatigue, Burnout, and Compassion Satisfaction among mental health practitioners.Methods: Staff working in three Italian Mental Health Departments completed the Professional Quality of Life Scale, measuring Compassion Fatigue, Burnout, and Compassion Satisfaction, and the Quality of Working Life Questionnaire. The latter was used to collect socio-demographics, occupational characteristics and 13 indicators of quality of working life. Multiple regressions controlling for other variables were undertaken to predict Compassion Fatigue, Burnout, and Compassion Satisfaction.Results: Four hundred questionnaires were completed. In bivariate analyses, experiencing more ergonomic problems, perceiving risks for the future, a higher impact of work on life, and lower levels of trust and of perceived quality of meetings were associated with poorer outcomes. Multivariate analysis showed that (a) ergonomic problems and impact of work on life predicted higher levels of both Compassion Fatigue and Burnout; (b) impact of life on work was associated with Compassion Fatigue and lower levels of trust and perceiving more risks for the future with Burnout only; (c) perceived quality of meetings, need of training, and perceiving no risks for the future predicted higher levels of Compassion Satisfaction.Conclusions: In order to provide adequate mental health services, service providers need to give their employees adequate ergonomic conditions, giving special attention to time pressures. Building trustful relationships with management and within the teams is also crucial. Training and meetings are other important targets for potential improvement. Additionally, insecurity about the future should be addressed as it can affect both Burnout and Compassion Satisfaction. Finally, strategies to reduce possible work-life conflicts need to be considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To assess the effectiveness of a cognitive-behavioral therapy-based intervention (Superwellness Program) on weight gain compared with a treatment-as-usual (TAU) approach in patients treated with antipsychotics, and to evaluate the relationship between body mass index (BMI) variation and clinical variables. Method: Eighty-five patients treated with antipsychotics were allocated across two groups, experimental (n=59) and control (n=26). The Superwellness Program (experimental group) consisted of 32 twice-weekly 1-hour sessions, conducted by a psychologist and a nutritionist/nurse, concurrently with moderate food intake and moderate physical activity plans. Sociodemographic, clinical, and biological variables were collected at baseline, at the end of intervention (16 weeks), and after 6 months. Results: BMI change from baseline differed significantly between the experimental and control groups, with a larger decrease in the experimental group (F = 5.5, p = 0.021). Duration of illness moderated the effect of treatment on BMI (p = 0.026). No significant (p = 0.499) effect of intervention during the follow-up period was found. Interestingly, the intervention indirectly induced a significant (p = 0.024) reduction in metabolic risk by reducing BMI. Conclusion: A cognitive-behavioral therapy-based intervention could be useful in reducing weight in a clinical population taking antipsychotics, with consequent benefit to physical and mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]