Cognitive Reserve: A Crucial Construct for Addressing Mental Health
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Abstract
Mental health is also cognitive health. This statement may seem obvious, given that standard definitions of mental health refer to the capacity of an individual to use their abilities productively and adaptively (World Health Organization, 2004; Galderisi, 2017). This includes cognitive functions such as reasoning, attention, memory and executive control. However, the affective and interpersonal components of mental health tend to receive greater attention from both the general public and professionals, with most clinical research focusing on affective disorders (Moitra et al., 2023). Nevertheless, according to the most widely used form of psychotherapy, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), cognition is a key determinant of mental health even in its broadest definition: the absence of psychopathology.
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