First Episode of Psychosis

Abstract

The first episode of psychosis is the interval between the onset of the first positive psychotic symptom above the threshold for clinical psychosis for at least 1 week until the first 5 years of starting treatment. The at-risk mental state is subdivided into three ultra high-risk populations for psychosis: brief intermittent psychotic symptoms; attenuated positive symptoms syndrome; genetic risk and deterioration syndrome. The incidence of psychotic disorders varies between 15-34/100,000 person-years at risk, most of the specific diagnoses are schizophrenia. The duration of untreated psychosis is the most studied variable and closely related to the assessment of the impact of early treatment on the patient's prognosis. Psychosis can be divided into primary (affective and non-affective) or secondary causes. Intervening early in the course of psychotic illness is important as centers specialized in FEP aim reduce DUP, achieve remission of the psychotic condition, reduce recurrence, and reduce the number of hospital admissions.