Early Clinical Intervention and Prevention in Schizophrenia

Although much work remains to be done toward understanding the causes of schizophrenia and attenuating its symptoms, a clear consensus has emerged that better outcomes are associated with early treatment. In Early Clinical Intervention and Prevention in Schizophrenia, leading and internationally recognized researchers review what is known about the liability to schizophrenia, how it progresses, what it looks like clinically-with an emphasis on a specific (proposed) syndrome of liability (schizotaxia)-and how best it might be treated now and in the near future. The authors summarize the latest findings on the genetic, early environmental, and neurodevelopmental origins of schizophrenia, and detail the nature of the vulnerability to schizophrenia from several perspectives, including the prodrome and their proposed pre-prodromal syndrome of schizotaxia. Specific factors, such as cognitive deficits in high-risk populations, neuroanatomical abnormalities, and psychophysiological deficits are also considered. From this material, the contributors develop protocols for the treatment of schizotaxia and prodromal symptoms, and discuss issues related to genetic counseling. They also explore the neurochemical and molecular possibilities for advancing the goals of prevention and early intervention in schizotaxia. Timely and cutting-edge, Early Clinical Intervention and Prevention in Schizophrenia offers psychologists, psychiatrists, and neurologists an authoritative account of how the liability to develop schizophrenia is expressed in meaningful, measurable ways that can provide a basis for early intervention and preventive efforts.