Research Projects

Ultra-high-risk (UHR) states for psychosis are individuals with decline in cognitive and social functioning, typically beginning in early adolescence. 30-40% of UHR individuals may develop full-blown psychosis within 24 to 36 months. There is no established guideline for pharmacological management of these individuals, and current guidelines recommend psychological therapies as a management plan. Early identification and psychological support can improve functional outcomes and quality of life for these individuals. Cognitive function is an important predictor of health outcomes, and cognitive deficits are one of the core deficits of UHR state. These deficits can affect various components such as attention, memory, learning, and problem-solving, similar to dysregulation of learning and memory mechanisms in neuropsychiatric diseases like schizophrenia. Early intervention is crucial to prevent transitional risk to psychosis. There is a lack of research targeting cognition and functioning in UHR states. Cognitive remediation therapy has shown consistent results in improving cognition and functional outcomes in other mental disorders. However, all cognitive remediation therapy interventions developed are from the Western world and cannot be directly used in the Indian population. Therefore, the aim of this research project is to develop a culturally sensitive and acceptable cognitive remediation therapy module to address cognitive deficits observed among persons at ultra-high-risk for psychosis. This will be the first Indian study to develop a cognitive remediation therapy for ultra-high risk in the Indian population. The developed module aims to revert cognitive deficits observed among individuals at ultra-high-risk for psychosis, improving their functioning and quality of life.