Treatment and Outcomes in Adolescents With Schizophrenia

The pharmacologic treatment and assessment of outcomes in adolescents with schizophrenia havebeen inadequately addressed. Structural brain imaging and brain function studies both point to a continuitybetween adolescent and adult stages of schizophrenia. Because the teenage population seemsto be less tolerant of physical side effects, the advent of atypical antipsychotic medications may offerincreased safety and efficacy. Studies support the notion that adolescent illness is associated with amore severe form of schizophrenia and that length of illness before treatment is correlated with longtermoutcome. As a consequence, the authors recommend assertive pharmacologic intervention inadolescents with schizophrenia and future research focused on the issues of treatment and outcome inteenagers suffering a psychotic disorder.