Cognitive impairment has been listed among the central features of schizophrenia since original descpription of Kraepelin and Bleuler. One of the important objectives of early intervention in psychosis is improvement and maintaining of adequate cognitive functioning of patients along with other aspects of clinical and social functining . Psychiatric hospital „ Sveti Ivan“ in Zagreb, Croatia offers an outpatient Early intervention programme for the psychotic patients in the critical period of their illnes-up to five years from onset. The program includes psychoeducation workshops for the patients and their family members together, group psychodynamic psychotherapy for the patients and group psychotherapy for the family members. In order to improve patient s follow up in different phases of tretatment cognitive functionong, object relations, separation and individuation , empathy, self-esteem and quality of life are investigated. This paper demonstrates changes in cognitive functionong of young psychotic patients who all participated in in the long-term psychodynamic group psychotherapy . Results of Revised Beta Examination ( measure of nonverbal intellectual ability) at the start of the psychotherapy, after one, and three years were obtained for 18 patients with psychotic disorder. Statistically significant improvement of cognitive funkctionong was demonstrated.

Kliničke medicinske znanosti