Hostname: page-component-6bf8c574d5-7jkgd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-02-20T22:44:51.985Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Duration of untreated psychosis: a critical examination of the concept and its importance

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 April 2001

ROSS M. G. NORMAN
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
ASHOK K. MALLA
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Background. The concept of duration of untreated psychosis (DUP) has recently attracted much interest because of its possible relationship to treatment outcome and implications for preventive efforts with reference to psychotic disorders, especially schizophrenia. In this paper we review critically the literature concerning the concept and its importance.

Methods. Articles concerned with measuring DUP and those that have been suggested to provide indirect or direct evidence of the effect of DUP on treatment outcome are reviewed.

Results. Evidence thus far suggests that DUP may be related to ease of reducing psychotic symptoms once treatment begins for first episode patients, but there is no evidence of a relationship to likelihood of relapse. There has been little investigation of the relationship of DUP to other long-term outcomes such as negative symptoms and cognitive functioning neither have the possible confounds of DUP been widely investigated or controlled.

Conclusions. It is important that there should be more thorough investigations of DUP, its correlates, and the extent to which it does mediate any advantages of earlier intervention.

Type
Review Article
Copyright
© 2001 Cambridge University Press