Cognitive remediation for young people with schizophrenia

INTERVENTION: Cognitive remediation therapy versus usual care CONDITION: Schizophrenia ; Mental and Behavioural Disorders ; Schizophrenia PRIMARY OUTCOME: 1. Cognitive flexibility (number of categories achieved on the Wisconsin Card Sort Test [WCST] Heaton et al.); 2. Memory (raw score from Digit Span: Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale‐III [WAIS‐III] Wechsler,1981); 3. Planning (modified six elements) SECONDARY OUTCOME: 1. Social Behaviour Schedule ([SBS] Wykes and Sturt, 1986) for social functioning; 2. Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (for symptoms) using Lukoff et al. version and Shaffer Factor Scores; 3. Quality of Life Scale (for social inclusion); 4. Rosenberg Self Esteem Scale (Rosenberg, 1965) INCLUSION CRITERIA: 1. A diagnosis of schizophrenia according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, 4th (DSM IV); had a first episode while still a teenager and their duration of illness was 3 years or less 2. Cognitive difficulties in cognitive flexibility (below the 16th centile on the Wisconsin Card Sort Test) and/or memory (poor performance on the Rivermead Behavioural Memory Test) 3. Difficulties in social functioning (at least one problem on the Social Behaviour Scale) 4. Stable medication, in terms of type and dose, for at least one month prior to inclusion