The impact of premorbid adjustment, neurocognition, and depression on social and role functioning in patients in an early psychosis treatment program.

Objective: Functional impairments are debilitating concomitants of psychotic disorders and are present early in the illness course and, commonly, prior to psychosis onset. The factors affecting social and role functioning in early psychosis (EP) following treatment are unclear. We evaluated whether six months of participation in the PREP(R), Boston, EP treatment program, part of a public-academic community mental health center, was related to improvements in social and role functioning and whether premorbid adjustment in adolescence, baseline neurocognition, and depression symptoms predicted functional improvement.

Prevention and recovery in early psychosis (PREP(®)): building a public-academic partnership program in Massachusetts, United States.

Recently, there has been increasing emphasis on early intervention (EI) for psychotic disorders. EI programs in public mental health settings have been established in countries such as Australia, the United Kingdom, and Canada. However, there are relatively few EI programs in the United States (U.

The role of neurocognition and social context in predicting community functioning among formerly homeless seriously mentally ill persons.

Objective: To test the influence of neurocognitive functioning on community functioning among formerly homeless persons with serious mental illness and to determine whether that influence varies with social context, independent of individual characteristics.

Methods: In metropolitan Boston, 112 persons in Department of Mental Health shelters were administered a neuropsychological test battery and other measures and then randomly assigned to empowerment-oriented group homes or independent apartments, as part of a longitudinal study of the effects of housing on multiple outcomes. Subjects' case managers completed Rosen's 5-dimensional Life Skills Inventory at 3, 6, 12, and 18 months and subjects reported on their social contacts at baseline, 6, 12, and 18 months.

Change in neurocognition by housing type and substance abuse among formerly homeless seriously mentally ill persons.

Objective: To test the effect of living in group housing rather than independent apartments on executive functioning, verbal memory and sustained attention among formerly homeless persons with serious mental illness and to determine whether substance abuse modifies this effect.

Method: In metropolitan Boston, 112 persons in Department of Mental Health shelters were randomly assigned to group homes ("Evolving Consumer Households", with project facilitator, group meetings, resident decision-making) or independent apartments. All were case managed.

The effect of housing interventions on neuropsychological functioning among homeless persons with mental illness.

The authors tested the hypotheses that neuropsychological functioning would improve after homeless persons with severe and persistent mental illness were provided with housing and that executive functioning would improve more among those placed in group homes than among those placed in independent apartments. A total of 114 persons with serious and persistent mental illness who were stable residents of homeless shelters completed neuropsychological testing and were randomly assigned to group homes or independent apartments; 91 participants (52 assigned to group homes and 39 assigned to independent apartments) were retested after 18 months. Overall neuropsychological functioning improved significantly across the full study sample.