Feasibility and acceptability of cognitive rehabilitation during the acute phase of schizophrenia.

Aim: Although numerous studies have demonstrated promising results for the cognitive rehabilitation in subjects with schizophrenia, the efficacy of cognitive rehabilitation for everyday and social functioning is not yet sufficient. Although consideration of the contents and methods are vital, the timing for implementing cognitive rehabilitation also seems to be crucial. The aim of this study was to examine the feasibility and acceptability of cognitive rehabilitation during the acute phase of schizophrenia.

[Efforts toward comprehensive early intervention at Early Psychosis Unit "II Bosco"].

Recently, shortening of the duration of untreated psychosis (DUP) and intensive treatment within the critical period are taken as determinants of a favorable prognosis, and various service systems and treatment approaches for early intervention in schizophrenia have been proposed in the world. At the Toho University Omori Medical Center, Early Psychosis Unit "Il Bosco" was established as an intervention service from the viewpoint of preventing full-blown psychosis at the prodromal stage, where cognitive training for a direct therapeutic approach to brain function and psychosocial treatment for patients at puberty and adolescence are administered. In this article, we introduce the practice at "Il Bosco" and consider future prospects.

[The significance of the early detection and intervention for schizophrenia].

Early detection of, and intervention for, schizophrenia improve the social and functional outcome of the schizophrenia patient. A shorter duration of untreated psychosis (DUP) is an indication of a good prognosis for schizophrenia, but the DUP in Japan is comparatively long. There are some reports which have suggested shortening the DUP, for example, the Buckingham project and TIPS.

Poor outcome associated with symptomatic deterioration among help-seeking individuals at risk for psychosis: a naturalistic follow-up study.

Aims: It remains debatable whether early intervention for psychosis is capable of meeting the needs of at-risk subjects. The aims of this study were to describe the actual impact of interventions on subjective difficulties and to explore the factors that may be associated with a poor outcome.

Methods: Participants were help-seeking outpatients at a university hospital who met the Criteria of Prodromal Syndromes.

Early psychosis in Asia: Insights from Japan.

The largest task for psychiatry in Japan today is the deinstitutionalization of patients with psychiatric disorders. In Japan, all citizens are covered by a national health plan, and about 70% of the total cost is covered by the national health insurance scheme. At present, however, there is still no category for early intervention in the national health reimbursement schedule.

Reduced prefrontal cortex activation during divergent thinking in schizophrenia: a multi-channel NIRS study.

Relationships between deficits in verbal fluency and poor social functioning have been revealed in patients with schizophrenia. In previous studies, we demonstrated that deficits in idea fluency, which is ranked as a more complex type of verbal fluency and reflects divergent thinking ability, were more closely related to social dysfunction than deficits in simple word fluency. Although functional neuroimaging studies have provided detailed data regarding prefrontal dysfunction during word fluency tasks, the regions that relate to deficits in fluency of ideas and thoughts have not yet been clarified in schizophrenia patients.

Clinical practice and research activities for early psychiatric intervention at Japanese leading centres.

Aim: To describe clinical practice and research activities for early psychiatric intervention in Japan, a country with a huge number of psychiatric beds and a history of long-stay, hospital-based psychiatry.

Methods: The characteristics, methods and activities of early intervention studies and implementation at four leading institutions in Japan are described.

Results: The Tokyo Youth Club (Tokyo), the Department of Neuropsychiatry of Toyama University Hospital (Toyama), the Sendai At-risk Mental State and First Episode (SAFE) service (Sendai), and the Il Bosco of Toho University Omori Medical Center (Tokyo) have unique and active psychiatric programmes.