Early identification and treatment of schizophrenia: conceptual and ethical considerations

To identify and start treatment of schizophrenic patients at an early stage has been a matter of growing interest in recent years (Alanen 1994; Birchwood 1992; Docherty et al. 1978; Falloon 1992; Lieberman et al. 1993). However, we are not aware of any controlled study definitively concluding that early treatment of schizophrenia is favorable. Many researchers discuss the topic, for example, regarding outcome and prognosis (Falloon 1992) or treatment response (Alanen 1994; Lieberman et al. 1993). In this article we take a closer look at the idea of early treatment of schizophrenia by analyzing the concept of early schizophrenia/early psychosis at an epistemological level and discuss related ethical problems.