The psychology of schizophrenia: Implications for biological and psychotherapeutic treatments

The focus on recent advances in the neurobiology of schizophrenia has pushed aside the psychologicalunderstanding of the person with schizophrenia for several decades. However, a useful functional psychologyof schizophrenia (in distinction to a psychological approach to symptoms) remains clinically important forseveral reasons: it is a core part of the bio-psycho-social formulation; it helps us understand and connect withpersons with schizophrenia; and it provides a framework by which to organize our treatment efforts (both psychotherapeuticand particularly biological), which can improve adherence and outcomes. A coherent psychologicalmodel (the deficit model) based on object relations theory best explains all the biological, psychological, clinical, and sociocultural factors relevant to the understanding and treatment of persons with schizophrenia.A better understanding of a coherent psychology of persons with schizophrenia and provision of psychotherapiesimproves both the biological and psychotherapeutic treatment of persons with schizophrenia.