'Game-Changer' Study Says There's A Better Way To Treat Schizophrenia

A groundbreaking new study adds to a growing body of evidence that people with schizophrenia can do much better if they get the right treatment at the right time.

Psychiatrists are sure to pay attention to the results. Policymakers eager to do something about mental health may want to do the same.

The study, which the American Journal of Psychiatry published on Tuesday morning, is the latest attempt to test “early intervention” -- a treatment strategy that researchers around the world have been developing for approximately the last 25 years. (Early intervention was the subject of a lengthy Huffington Post Highline article that appeared last week.)

Historically, psychiatrists have treated schizophrenia, which affects about 1 percent of Americans, largely by administering high doses of antipsychotic medications. Some patients recover fully but the majority do not. Instead, those people end up living with severe disability, dropping out of school and living without regular jobs.


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