Smartphone app aimed at disrupting first-episode psychosis shows promise

One of the most compelling aspects to schizophrenia, the most serious of mental disorders, is its age of onset in late adolescence and early adulthood. Intervening early on has good logic and good sense on its side. Nothing can be more important than giving attention to patients and families early on. However, it still remain unknown what biological processes trigger the disorder, and to date there are no data suggesting that we are able to slow the illness progression. Nevertheless, focusing early will teach us about the illness and set the stage when the next generation of biological treatments emerge.

David Pickar, MD, is a psychiatrist and former (retired) director of intramural research at the National Institute of Mental Health. In addition, Dr. Pickar is adjunct professor of psychiatry at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, and at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Md.