Early Intervention in Schizophrenia: A Literature Review

Schizophrenia is a debilitating psychiatric disorder seen across the world. Recently, investigators have witnessed an upsurge in research on the potential benefits of early intervention during the prodromal stage: the sooner people start the treatment at their first psychotic episode, the better outcome on symptom relief and better functioning. This paper aims to critically review and synthesize empirical evidence published between 2005 and 2015 regarding the effectiveness of preemptive interventions on transition rate, symptom severity, depression, anxiety, and function level. Randomized controlled trials were identified in seven different electronic databases and twelve studies were included in this review. Findings indicated that intervention was designed not only for help-seeking individuals, but also for their family members. Also, the applications for psychiatric nursing are discussed.