EFPA Standing Committee on Clinical Neuropsychology engagement in the European Brain Council project : Rethinking Schizophrenia Care Pathway
The European Brain Council (EBC) invited a delegate of the EFPA Standing Committee on Clinical Neuropsychology as an expert to both exploratory meetings which took place on March 22, 2024, and on September 3, 2024, in regard to EBC's survey "Rethinking Schizophrenia Care Pathway" which was published on March 28, 2024.
The survey results emphasize the insufficient weight attributed to negative and cognitive symptoms of patients with schizophrenia, thus resulting in significant unmet needs. Future meetings will aim at further exploring these treatment gaps.
The inclusion of clinical neuropsychological diagnostics focusing on, inter alia, cognitive functions as a routine part of the diagnostic process for individuals with schizophrenia is essential. To support this position, the Standing Committee on Clinical Neuropsychology is currently working on a state-of-the-art paper for diagnostics and treatment of patients with schizophrenia. Five bullet points extracted from that work have been handed over to the EBC project group. These arguments are advocating for the integration of clinical neuropsychological diagnostic into the standard care of patients with schizophrenia.