Researchers try to stop schizophrenia when it starts

(The Associated Press) UPDATED 2009-07-27

Scientists are studying the schizophrenia prodrome--the condition's early signs--to try to find a way to stop the thought disorder when it starts. A prodrome is a troubled mental state usually found in teens and young adults. The symptom can lead to psychosis, which is a loss of touch with reality that marks not only schizophrenia, but also some forms of depression or manic-depression. Though doctors have long known a prodrome was a warning sign of schizophrenia, they haven't been able to study them effectively. But now scientists are using tools such as brain scans, DNA studies, and hormone research to dig into the origins of the prodrome, research they hope will reveal new ways to detect this precursor to psychosis so that they can stop its progression. Read full story >

See all Schizophrenia News