OBJECTIVE Follow-up studies have found that a substantial number of patients with schizophrenia achieve full recovery (i.e., sustained improvement in both symptoms and social/vocational functioning) when examined decades after an index admission. This study addressed recovery during the crucial early course of the illness. METHOD Subjects in their first episode of schizophrenia or schizoaffec...

Asperger’s Disorder (AD) is a pervasive developmental disorder in which individuals show impairment in social skills by engaging in eccentric behavior, which leads to social isolation and rejection. Social Phobia (SP) is a disorder in which individuals report excessive anxiety while in social situations, resulting in significant distress and avoidance of social situations. A diagnosis of either...

Although it is evident from numerous studies that patients with mood disorders generally have a deficient social functioning and a weak social network, little is known about these aspects of seasonal affective disorder (SAD) patients. We studied the social situation, the social network and the social functioning of SAD (n = 20) patients in comparison with matched suicide attempters (SA) with no...

BACKGROUND Patients with psychotic disorders show impairments in the recognition of emotions in other people. These impairments have been associated with poor social functioning as measured by self-report questionnaires, clinical interviews and laboratory-based tests of social skills. The ecological validity of these tests, however, is low. Associations were examined between emotion recognition...

ObjectivesPrevious studies have shown that poor cognitive and social functioning are associated with increased risk of suicide. This study aimed to examine the association between social and cognitive functioning in adolescence and later completed suicide. DesignHistorical prospective cohort study Setting and ParticipantsData from the Israeli Draft Board Register for 756,223 Israeli male adoles...

Social functioning deficits are a core component of schizophrenia spectrum disorders, and may emerge years prior to the onset of diagnosable illness. The current study prospectively examines the relation between teacher-rated childhood social dysfunction and later mental illness among participants who were at genetic high-risk for schizophrenia and controls (n=244). The teacher-rated social fun...

Quality of life (QoL) for people with epilepsy is considered worse than the condition's clinical and medical prognosis would predict. Quantity and quality of social interaction considerably determine QoL. Research shows that a significant proportion of patients with epilepsy experience difficulties with social functioning that is thought to be related to impaired QoL. The aim of this review art...

Metacognitive difficulties have been linked to social dysfunction in schizophrenia. However, research examining the role of metacognition in the social functioning of patients with a history of violence and criminality is very limited. This research is especially important for this group given their relatively poor prognosis and their risk to reoffend, as well as the promising benefits of integ...