Schizophrenia is one of the most researched, yet still one of the least understood, of the
mental disorders. One key area that remains comparatively neglected is the fact that
schizophrenia typically develops at late adolescence. In common with people with psychotic
disorders, around 25% of normal teenagers also report finding adolescence very
distressing, and a substantial empirical literature shows that certain characteristics typical of
adolescence such as conflicted family relationships, grandiosity, egocentrism, and magical …

Governments around the world have given priority to" early intervention", ie the early
diagnosis and treatment of young adults with psychotic symptoms. One of the main problems
with this approach, is that only a small proportion of these young adults can be expected to
go on to develop schizophrenia, yet all the treatment regimes are derived from work with
adults who have had full psychotic episodes. Why Does Schizophrenia Develop at Late
Adolescence? proposes a controversial new model of how schizophrenia develops in late …