Patient Functioning, Life Engagement, and Treatment Goals in Schizophrenia

Unmet needs in the treatment of schizophrenia include nonadherence to treatment, symptom relapse, incomplete functional recovery, and poor quality of life. Incorporating the patient's perspective into the treatment plan and measuring treatment outcomes that are meaningful to patients is an important part of addressing these issues. Goal setting is associated with greater improvements in motivation and role functioning, but clinicians should keep in mind that their goals for treatment may not align with those of their patients. Patients tend to think about their lives more holistically than clinicians, with equal weight given to social and clinical needs, and improved functioning and engagement with life are likely to emerge as priorities, beyond the need for symptom control. In a recent roundtable meeting, a panel of 5 experts discussed life engagement and its relationship to symptoms and functioning in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and schizophrenia. This Academic Highlights, part 2 in a series, summarizes the experts' discussion of how life engagement can inform goal-setting and treatment selection in patients with schizophrenia.