Advances in the understanding and challenges facing the management of first-episode schizophrenia

摘要

Symptoms of schizophrenia typically first appear in adolescence, a time of transition involving biological, social and emotional changes. Schizophrenia and related psychotic illnesses can significantly impair educational and social development; consequently, early identification and treatment is paramount and can affect long-term outcome. Singh (2010) states that early intervention is cost effective and does ameliorate the course of early psychosis, referring specifically to specialist early intervention teams, and their impact on long-term disease outcome and prognosis. Much research is now available in this area, and the papers selected for this supplement focus on intervention at this critical stage, related side effects as well as mortality risk factors associated with schizophrenia.