Early detection and intervention in psychosis: An ethical paradigm shift

Abstract

This paper will first posit the rationale for intervention before onset, then outline the current usual practice of treating schizophrenia and the determinants of that practice. Recent developments that permit or demand a change in this practice will then be elaborated. The article concludes with an elaboration of the currently known risks and benefits of early intervention research. The ethics of early intervention are undergoing a paradigm shift, a shift that supports early intervention research as being necessary to bring empirical balance to territory that is currently overpopulated with zealous opinions.