ABSTRACT
Social cognition is increasingly viewed as an important topic of investigation within several psychiatric disorders, and particularly those that include psychosis such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depression. This chapter reviews current knowledge regarding social cognition in psychiatric disorders by first discussing the different domains that are typically included under the broader construct of social cognition for this area and then describing how individuals with psychiatric disorders perform within these domains. Information demonstrating that social cognition is a significant determinant of real-world functioning is then presented, followed by evidence suggesting that social cognitive impairments have a neurobiological basis centered on abnormal functioning of social cognitive brain networks. The efficacy of psychosocial, pharmacological, and neurostimulation treatment approaches is then presented, and the chapter concludes with a discussion of current challenges and opportunities within the field of social cognition in psychopathology. For all topics, findings related to psychosis are emphasized.
