This text investigates the role of metacognitive deficits in the development and maintenance of severe adult mental disorders and proposes clinical strategies for intervention. Authors Giancarlo Dimaggio and Paul H. Lysaker, both prominent researchers in the field of psychotherapy, synthesize current empirical data regarding how individuals with severe psychiatric conditions process their own mental states and those of others. The book presents a structured framework for integrating metacognitive assessment into standard clinical practice to improve patient outcomes.

Experts in clinical psychology recognize this work as a foundational text for understanding the cognitive mechanisms underlying severe mental illness. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose, which is tailored primarily for mental health professionals and advanced students in the field.