Most people with schizophrenia - at least 85% will have problems with their cognition, and nowadays cognitive dysfunction is believed as a primary sympton of schizophrenia insteads of positive, negative, and affect symptoms. Cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenic people may be manifested in many different ways, such as: inability to pay attention: to memorize new information: to learn new things; to recall the information that he/she has ever learned before: to process and to respons information; to think critically; to plan, to organize, to sequence, to make abstraction, and to solve problem well (executive function); as well as inability to initiate speech.
In the long-term course and prognosis of schizophrenia disorder, the cognitive dysfunction may widely impact their functional state in community, school, work, and relationships. Therefore, a well management of cognitive dysfunction in people with schizophrenia is an important issue to be held.
Pharmacologic approach and non pharmacologic approach are recommended in managing the cognitive dysfunction of people with schizophrenia. In pharmacologic approach, giving an atypical and psychotic could improve the cognitive function dramatically, especially in an early onset. To identify, to assess, and to monitor the cognitive problems; to keep on and to maintain their activities daily living actively, and to support them participating in cognitive remedial therapy are the whole strategy that could be given in non pharmacologic approach. |