Neurocognition as a determinant of employment status in schizophrenia.

Chronic unemployment is a major problem faced by many persons with schizophrenia. In this article, the author first reviews reasons why employment is an important goal for patients with schizophrenia. Employment appears to improve the clinical symptoms of schizophrenia. Employment also reduces the economic costs of the illness to society. The author then discusses predictors of positive employment outcomes in schizophrenia. Clinical symptoms, especially positive symptoms, do not appear to play a large role in predicting occupational functioning in schizophrenia. The author than reviews the evidence for the role of cognitive impairment in unemployment in patients with schizophrenia. In seven of the eight studies reviewed, significant relationships between cognitive functioning and work status/work behaviors were reported. These studies provide the basis for identifying those patients most at risk for the poorest occupational outcomes as well as those most likely to benefit from focused intervention.