Connect
MJA
MJA

Is it appropriate to treat people at high-risk of psychosis before first onset - Yes

Alison R Yung
Med J Aust 2012; 196 (9): . || doi: 10.5694/mja12.10668
Published online: 21 May 2012

Youth mental health expert Alison Yung says safe treatments should be offered

Schizophrenia carries a great personal and economic burden. It begins with a non-psychotic prodromal phase before the onset of characteristic positive symptoms such as delusions and hallucinations. This prodromal phase is therefore a potential target for early intervention.


  • Centre for Youth Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC.


Correspondence: aryung@unimelb.edu.au

Competing interests:

No relevant disclosures.

  • 1. Yung AR, Phillips LJ, Nelson B, et al. Randomized controlled trial of interventions for young people at ultra high risk of psychosis: 6-month analysis. J Clin Psychiatry 2011; 72: 430-440.
  • 2. Fusar-Poli P, Bonoldi I, Yung AR, et al. Predicting psychosis: meta-analysis of evidence of transition outcomes in individuals at high clinical risk. Arch Gen Psychiatry 2012; 69: 220-229.
  • 3. Preti A, Cella M. Randomized-controlled trials in people at ultra high risk of psychosis: a review of treatment effectiveness. Schizophrenia Res 2010; 123: 30-36.
  • 4. Morrison AP, French P, Stewart SL, et al. Early detection and intervention evaluation for people at risk of psychosis: multisite randomised controlled trial. BMJ 2012; 344: e2233.
  • 5. Valmaggia LR, McCrone P, Knapp M, et al. Economic impact of early intervention in people at high risk of psychosis. Psychol Med 2009; 39: 1617–1626.

Author

remove_circle_outline Delete Author
add_circle_outline Add Author

Comment
Do you have any competing interests to declare? *

I/we agree to assign copyright to the Medical Journal of Australia and agree to the Conditions of publication *
I/we agree to the Terms of use of the Medical Journal of Australia *
Email me when people comment on this article

Online responses are no longer available. Please refer to our instructions for authors page for more information.