20-Year Prospective, Sequential Follow-Up Study of Heterogeneity in Associations of Duration of Untreated Psychosis With Symptoms, Functioning, and Quality of Life Following First-Episode Psychosis

What is it about?

Psychotic illness, such as schizophrenia, may be similar to many medical disorders in that the longer it is left untreated after onset, the worse may be its long-term outcome. This study finds that positive associations between shorter duration of initially untreated psychosis and improved long-term outcome are still evident when outcome is assessed up to twenty years after onset. Therefore, efforts to reduce duration of untreated psychosis may have clinical benefits that endure across subsequent decades.

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