About this Research Topic

Background

Although the prognosis of schizophrenia is very heterogeneous, in general, it is a disorder with relatively poor outcomes. Outcomes of schizophrenia include increased rate of suicides and other causes of death, high occurrence of somatic and psychiatric comorbidities, recurrent relapses and risk of treatment resistance, and poor occupational and social functioning. However, on the positive side, not all the patients experience deteriorating course of illness. Remission and even recoveries are possible. In a meta-analysis of studies up to 1990s’, approximately 13.5% of individuals with schizophrenia experience recovery with both good social and clinical recovery. In first-episode psychoses including a heterogeneous group of psychotic illnesses, remission and recovery rates are higher, and they may have been increasing in time.

But what is the true situation regarding the most severe of psychoses, schizophrenia: Has the prognosis changed during the last decades when new possibilities for interventions and treatments of schizophrenia have occurred? In 1990’s the paradigm of early intervention of psychoses begun, and nowadays there are several early intervention centers and studies. Recently also new models for comprehensive psychosocial care have been developed. After new treatment possibilities - have we got any better in making our patients better?

The scope of this Research Topic is to explore prognosis and effective treatments of schizophrenia. We wish to get answers to important questions, such as:
- Has the outcomes and prognosis of schizophrenia changed during the last three-four decades?
- Has the prognosis changed differently in schizophrenia compared to other psychoses?
- What is the impact of new treatment modalities on the long-term prognosis of schizophrenia, especially on the rate of recovery?

We encourage researchers from intervention studies and trials to naturalistic studies to participate in building up this Research Topic. Both original studies and reviews are very welcome.

Keywords: Psychosis, Schizophrenia, Outcome, Prognosis, Long-term, Treatment, Intervention

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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