Group Psychotherapy Focused on the Domain in the Emotional and Personality Domain in Adolescents with Schizophrenic Spectrum Disorders

The narrative review describes modern ideas about the structural and dynamic features and disorders of the emotional and personal sphere in adolescents with schizophrenic spectrum disorders, and proves the therapeutic potential of group psychotherapy in the treatment of these disorders. The relevance of addressing emotional and personal deficits in adolescents is due to their impact on their social adjustment, the development of coping strategies, and the overall quality of life. The complexity of psychotherapy is due to a combination of immaturity and vulnerability of the emotional and personal sphere, specific to adolescents, combined with the actual age-related tasks of self-knowledge, implemented within the interpersonal interaction. The emotional and personal sphere of adolescents with schizophrenic spectrum disorders is characterized by a complex structure of disorders, including a decrease in the ability to perceive and express complex emotions, a deficit of mentalization and difficulties in interpreting social interactions, instability of self-esteem, hurtful experience of otherness, alienation from society and, as a result, fear of rejection, negative assessment, etc. These disorders, refracted through actual age-related tasks, are enhanced by social factors (isolation, stigmatization) and develop a specific pattern of social dysfunction, due to the close connection between clinical manifestations and normative phenomena of age-related development. Group psychotherapy is considered an effective method of complex treatment in various conditions and combinations of symptoms, due to the potent effect of nonspecific therapeutic mechanisms via processes of group dynamics and creating a supportive environment. The possibilities of various directions of group work are analyzed: psychoeducation, cognitive-behavioral approach, art therapy, and integrative methods. Promising directions for further research of group psychotherapy targeted for the emotional and personal sphere of adolescents with schizophrenic spectrum disorders are provided.