While psychopharmacotherapy for psychosis is effective in reducing symptoms, improving the patient’s overall functioning and re-integration into society becomes increasingly the key target of psychiatric care. The goal is now moving beyond symptom remission, towards the patient’s recovery in his personal, relational and vocational functioning (Liberman et al., 2002).

Measurement of psychopathologic dimensions of psychosis is common practice; on the contrary, the assessment of psychosocial functioning and its impairment is not so commonly used, even with the availability of valid instruments like the Personal and Social Performance (PSP) Scale (Morosini et al., 2000).

Even less importance has till now been given to what personal and social functioning actually means to patients and their families and why this is such an important treatment goal.

Aim of this study is to provide tangible examples of improvements in personal and social functioning, to facilitate greater understanding of its importance amongst a broad range of European audiences including carers, patients, healthcare professionals.

During an informal roundtable session at the EUFAMI congress in Vilnius, Lithuania (26-27.11. 2009), a group of carers from all over Europe will discuss how they define personal and social functioning, sharing a series of personal, real-life scenarios that demonstrate an improvement in personal and social functioning of people with severe mental illness.

Each scenario will focus on one of the four main domains of the PSP scale: self-care, socially useful activities, personal and social relationships, disturbing and aggressive behaviour.

Results from the roundtable will be collected and discussed.