Functionality, Autonomy and Executive Function in Patients with Schizophrenia and Schizoaffective Disorder

Carol Palma^1,2*, Álvaro Frías^1,2, Eloi Giné², María Martínez², Mertixell Anton², Mónica Hernández² & Núria Farriols^1,2

¹Blanquerna Faculty of Psychology, Education and Sports Sciences, University of Ramon-Llull, Barcelona
²Adult Outpatient Mental Health Center, Consorci Sanitari del Maresme (Mataró, Spain)

Dr. Carol Palma, Adult Outpatient Mental Health Center, Consorci Sanitari del Maresme, Cirera road, w/n 08304 Mataró (Barcelona, Spain).

Keywords: Work Functionality; Autonomy; Executive Function; Schizophrenia and Schizoaffective Disorder

Abstract

Cognitive deficits in psychotic disorders can be potential markers of the prognosis, among other factors. Initiative, planning, adaptability, concentration and consistency/regularity are very valuable competences in the labor market and it is possible and foreseeable that psychotic patients will probably have problems in obtaining and maintaining a job. The main goal of this study is to describe the relation between the patient’s global and labor functionality and executive dysfunction in schizophrenia and schizoaffective patients.
The results shows that the fluency subdomain is probably related with difficulties in the basic performance in the labor market. Patients diagnosed with psychotic disorders have a tough time entering the working marked and yet it is known that it is an aspect of normalization that affects the global functionality of a person. During the process of insertion and maintenance of a working place, it should be an important issue to remember to make the appropriate adjustments.

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. (CC BY 4.0).