Sensory processing, neurocognition, and social cognition in schizophrenia: towards a cohesive cognitive model.

Schizophrenia research has identified deficits in neurocognition, social cognition, and sensory processing. Because a cohesive model of "disturbed cognitive machinery" is currently lacking, we built a conceptual model to integrate neurocognition, social cognition, and sensory processing. In a cross-sectional study, the cognitive performance of participants was measured.

[Behavioural standard or coercive measure? Some considerations regarding the special issue on ROM].

Background: The cost of mental health care has possibly risen more than costs in other sectors of health care in the Netherlands. In an attempt to control the rising costs, new policies have been implemented that include the introduction of selective financial penalties for those in need of mental health care as well as the start of performance-based mental health care reimbursement. In order to achieve the latter goal, a nation-wide large-scale data collection was introduced based on clinical routine outcome monitoring (ROM) data, with a view to using these data for benchmarking.

Results of the search for personality disorder screening tools: clinical implications.

Objective: To examine the characteristics, validity, posttest probabilities, and screening capabilities of 8 different instruments used to predict personality disorders.

Method: Screening instruments were examined in 3 prospective, observational, test-development studies in 3 random samples of Dutch psychiatric outpatients, using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis II Disorders (SCID-II) as the "gold standard." The studies were performed from March 2004 to March 2005 (study 1: N = 195, mean age = 32.

Quick Personality Assessment Schedule (PAS-Q): validation of a brief screening test for personality disorders in a population of psychiatric outpatients.

Objective: The internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and validity of the Quick Personality Assessment Schedule (PAS-Q), as a screening instrument for personality disorders were studied in a random sample of 195 Dutch psychiatric outpatients, using the SCID-II as a gold standard.

Method: All patients were interviewed with the PAS-Q. With an interval of 1 to 2 weeks, they were interviewed with the SCID-II.

Perceiving emotions from bodily expressions and multisensory integration of emotion cues in schizophrenia.

Most studies investigating emotion recognition in schizophrenia have focused on facial expressions and neglected bodily and vocal expressions. Furthermore, little is known about affective multisensory integration in schizophrenia. In the first experiment, the authors investigated recognition of static, face-blurred, whole-body expressions (instrumental, angry, fearful, and sad) with a two-alternative, forced-choice, simultaneous matching task in a sample of schizophrenia patients, nonschizophrenic psychotic patients, and matched controls.