Abstract
BACKGROUND: Schizophrenia may cause significant impairment in social and economic aspects of a patient's life. Current evidence suggests that cognitive deficits may affect the functioning of a person with schizophrenia more than positive or negative symptoms. There is a lack of literature on explanatory models of cognitive deficits in schizophrenia that can influence help-seeking behavior. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of cognitive deficits and assess their relationship with socio-demographic and clinical characteristics among patients with schizophrenia. We also planned to explore the explanatory models of cognitive deficits in these patients. METHODS: Consecutive outpatients with schizophrenia who met eligibility criteria were recruited after obtaining informed consent. The Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination Tamil version (ACE III) and Observable Social Cognition - A Rating Scale (OSCARS) and Positive and Negative Symptom Scale (PANSS) were used to assess cognitive functioning and symptom profile, respectively. Beliefs about illness were recorded using the modified Short Explanatory Model Interview (SEMI). Socio-demographic and treatment-related details were collected with a structured proforma. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS for Windows (version 16.0.1). RESULTS: One hundred and forty patients participated in the study. The prevalence of cognitive deficits was 75.7% using ACE-III scores, 19.3% on OSCARS, and 40% based on subjective reports. Though the majority (81.4%) of patients reported a medical explanatory model for cognitive impairment, a significant number of them (70.7%) also held non-medical models simultaneously. CONCLUSION: Cognitive deficits are prevalent in the majority of patients with schizophrenia. Poor test performance on cognitive testing was observed in those with a significant family history. Multiple contradictory explanatory models for the causation of cognitive deficits were reported.