"Theory of mind" is the term used to designate human abilities to infer the state of mind or intentions of others. Such abilities are part of a major group of cognitive capabilities specifically related to social behavior, known as social cognition. Schizophrenia is a mental disorder that usually consists of severe social functioning. There are many studies available on the relations between disorders of theory of mind abilities and schizophrenia symptoms. Many authors believe that schizophrenia symptoms might be directly understood by focusing on some changes in Theory of Mind abilities. Other authors claim that such changes observed in schizophrenic patients are the result of their general cognitive impairment. There are still few studies related to the impact of the use of antipsychotics on social cognition and Theory of Mind abilities, which present methodological problems.
Cognition; schizophrenia; psychotic disorders