Reinventing Quality of Life: Refining the Concept and Going Beyond Assessments

Abstract

In spite of the broad popularity of the concept of quality of life in medicine and generally in its broad societal usage, why then is the interest in measuring quality of life in schizophrenia has been somewhat eroded in recent years? Obviously, there is no single answer to such a challenging question, but it seems to relate to a number of issues specific to the schizophrenia disorder itself and its impact on a wide range of mental deficits, as well as the impact of its treatment, i.e., the various and significant side effects of antipsychotic medications. Equally significant is the lack of research interest to go beyond assessments of quality of life into the broader applications that can impact clinical management and other important health outcomes. The excellent contributions to this book by the various internationally known experts in the field, coming from a broad range of theoretical and scientific background, all attest that the concept of quality of life in schizophrenia is alive and continues to be of great interest, but requires to be invigorated. New conceptual thinking, refinement of methodology, and going beyond measurement, into researching models for integration in clinical care as well as in pharmaco- and health economics, are all needed.