Cognitive Dysfunction in Severe Mental Illness addresses attention, processing speed, memory, and executive deficits that drive disability in schizophrenia spectrum, bipolar disorder, and recurrent depression. This page makes cognition visible in clinic: brief assessments you can run, how to set functional goals around learning and work, and which treatments actually move the needle—CBT-informed compensatory strategies, cognitive remediation, exercise and sleep plans, and medication choices that minimize cognitive drag. For attendees comparing an SMI cognition conference, we outline team-based pathways that blend skills training, digital supports, and role recovery.

Function is the outcome that matters. We connect cognitive profiles to practical scaffolds—checklists, chunking, external memory aids, and environmental modifications—and show how to build “friction” against distractors while increasing cues for desired routines. Medications are reviewed for anticholinergic burden and sedation; long-acting formulations can stabilize adherence. Fitness, daylight, and sleep regularity boost cognitive efficiency. When psychosis or mood instability is active, stabilization precedes intensive training; once steady, remediation and work/school reintegration sustain gains. See Cognitive Remediation for protocol detail that complements this page’s systems view.