Date
Spring 2019
Document Type
Poster Session
Department
Occupational Therapy
Advisor
Susan Noyes PhD, OTR/L
Keywords
schizophrenia, motivation, cognition, adults, Maine
Abstract
Our work is based around the holistic nature of the field of occupational therapy. This evidence-based project initially began, at the request of our community partner, with the intention of finding one or more assessments that may help identify the cause of a lack of motivation among group home residents at Tri County Mental Health in Lewiston, ME who suffer from schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is a chronic and severe mental illness that is now diagnosed as a spectrum disorder. It is characterized by distortions in the perception of reality and impairments in cognition and motivation. Schizophrenia can be categorized into three types of symptoms: positive, negative, and cognitive. Negative symptoms were the subject of interest for this project because we found that they present as the absence of typical functional behaviors and often consist of a lack of motivation for social participation, impairment in the initiation of activities, and flat affect, or a reduction in emotional responsiveness. The specific population is adults with schizophrenia who present with a significant lack of motivation to engage in daily activities such as bathing, dressing, and grocery shopping. The results have produced several options for assessments and interventions as well as distinct themes that contribute to a greater understanding of motivation and cognition in adults with schizophrenia.
Start Date
4-19-2019 1:15 PM
Recommended Citation
Willard, Jaime and Abraham, Evangeline, "The Role of Motivation and Cognition in Adults with Schizophrenia" (2019). Thinking Matters Symposium Archive. 190.
https://digitalcommons.usm.maine.edu/thinking_matters/190
