As those who are living with the illness will know, or their friends and family, schizophrenia is a complex and heterogeneous condition that is characterized by a range of features including:

‘positive’ and ‘negative’ symptoms,
neurocognitive deficits,
social, personal and occupational dysfunction.

Schizophrenia impacts on a person’s perception of the world, their emotions, speech, movement and their cognitive functioning, and as a result can notably impact nearly every aspect of their day-to-day functioning.

It has now been well established that cognitive impairments are a core feature of schizophrenia and schizophrenia is now being viewed as, not only a psychotic illness, but also a disorder of neurocognition.

Schizophrenia can have a marked impact on a number of areas of cognitive functioning including:

IQ
Attention / Concentration

Working Memory
Speed of Thinking
Verbal and Visual Learning and Memory
Language functioning
Higher Level Executive Functioning (planning / organization, reasoning, flexibility of thinking, impulse control, judgement and self-monitoring etc.

A comprehensive Neuropsychological Assessment looks at all of these areas. A Neuropsychological Assessment can help an individual, their family / friends and Service Providers to better understand their level of cognitive functioning / needs. It can also assist with future management planning and treatment.

Neuropsychological Assessments can be funded through the NDIS. If you would like further information regarding this, please contact our Service.