BACKGROUND. Verbal learning and memory is often compromised in patients with schizophrenia who prefer encoding words in order of their presentation (serial clustering) rather than using semantic categories (semantic clustering). METHOD. One hundred and four in-patients with schizophrenia were assessed twice with the California Verbal Learning Test. RESULTS. Patients showed significantly less semantic than serial clustering at both assessment times. Usage of encoding strategies were not stable over time. An increase in semantic clustering improved recall and recognition performance. CONCLUSIONS. Patients with schizophrenia should be taught to use the more effective encoding strategy of semantic clustering in order to improve their memory performance.

Neurocognition, not psychopathology, is a significant predictor of illness knowledge after psychoeducation in schizophrenia. This finding should guide efforts to tailor psychoeducational interventions more closely to the patient's needs and resources.

Studies on psychoeducation in schizophrenia demonstrate significant effects on rehospitalization rates, compliance and knowledge. Within the framework of the Munich COGPIP study we examined whether borderline intellectual disability in patients with schizophrenia limits the benefit from psychoeducational groups. A total of 116 inpatients with schizophrenic or schizoaffective disorders were recruited for the COGPIP study. A manualized, interactive psychoeducational programme of eight sessions (4 weeks) was initiated. Measures of knowledge, adherence and the concept of illness were completed before and after the groups. The short-term outcome of 22 participants with schizophrenia and borderline intellectual disability (IQ 70-85) was compared with the outcome of 75 participants with schizophrenia and IQ > 85. Results showed that individuals with schizophrenia and borderline intellectual disability could be successfully integrated into general psychoeducational groups. The conclusion is that borderline intellectual disability should not be an exclusion criterion for participation in such groups.

Angesichts des komplexen Krankheitsprozesses bei Schizophrenie muss bei einem Großteil der Patienten zunächst von einer als physiologisch zu bezeichnenden Wissensasymmetrie bezüglich der Erkrankung und der erforderlichen Behandlungsmaßnahmen ausgegangen werden. Hier eignen sich psychoedukative Gruppenprogramme, um das Wissen der Patienten zu verbessern und einen konstruktiven Dialog zwischen Patient und Behandler zu ermögli-chen. Über die Wirkmechanismen psychoedukativer Interventionen liegen bisher noch wenige Erkenntnisse vor. Analog zu Ergebnissen der Psychotherapieprozessforschung in anderen Bereichen wäre zu erwarten, dass die Art und Weise, wie betroffene Patienten am Gruppengeschehen teilnehmen, Auswirkungen auf das Erreichen der Behandlungsziele hat. Dies kann mithilfe eines neuen Untersuchungsinstruments, dem "Teilnahmequalitätsbogen" (TQB), evaluiert werden.