EAST LANSING, Mich. – Years before a young person experiences the hallmark signs of psychosis-hallucinations or a distorted sense of reality-subtle but notable struggles with social interactions and academic performance may emerge, according to a groundbreaking international study.
Early Warning Signs: Struggles Precede Psychosis
A large-scale study reveals functional decline can begin years before psychosis-risk symptoms appear.
- An international study of over 1,000 adolescents and young adults identified early markers of psychosis risk.
- Functional decline and negative symptoms-like reduced motivation-appear *before* psychosis-risk syndromes are clinically recognized.
- Social and academic difficulties in early life strongly predicted later cognitive impairment and negative symptoms.
- The findings suggest a need for earlier, broader interventions targeting developmental issues.
What does this mean for mental health? This research suggests that focusing solely on psychotic symptoms may be too late. Addressing social and academic challenges during critical developmental periods could be key to preventing or mitigating the severity of psychotic disorders.
Psychosis, a symptom often associated with mental illnesses like schizophrenia, involves a disconnect from reality. This can manifest as hallucinations-seeing or hearing things that aren’t there-or delusions-firmly held beliefs that are not based in reality.
The study, published in the Schizophrenia Bulletin, analyzed data from the Accelerating Medicines Partnership Schizophrenia project, the largest and most diverse international investigation of psychosis risk to date. Researchers, led by Assistant Professor Henry Cowan of Michigan State University, collaborated with an international consortium at 43 sites across 13 countries.
Researchers conducted clinical interviews, cognitive testing, and symptom assessments with participants. The analysis revealed that functional decline and negative symptoms-particularly a lack of motivation and diminished pleasure-developed significantly before individuals were identified as being at risk for psychosis. These patterns remained consistent regardless of weather symptoms emerged early or later in life.
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