Multidisciplinary Treatment for Individuals at Clinical High Risk of Developing Psychosis

One of the goals of identifying youth identified, based on clinical symptoms, as being at risk for developing psychosis, is to find ways to prevent or even delay the onset of the illness. Over the past 20 years, relatively few randomized control trials (RCTs), including both pharmacological and psychosocial interventions, have been conducted and often with inconsistent results. Several recent meta-analyses suggest that there are few treatments if any that might be effective and that no one treatment is seen as being more effective than any other treatment. This review aims to examine the existing RCTs and to critically review recent meta-analyses.

Individuals at clinical high risk for psychosis are a heterogenous group. Unfortunately, many interventions have not been specifically designed to address the outcome being assessed nor have participants been specifically selected for that treatment.

The trials completed to date and the recent systematic reviews should be seen positively and used to guide the design of future trials to ensure that the right interventions are offered to the right people at the right time.