Treating psychosis: is there more to early intervention than intervening early?

While the possibility of early intervention following the initial onset of psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia is an exciting development, a closer examination of the nature and content, as well as the timing, of treatment is required for this new approach to be successful. Modification and integration of diverse treatments need to be empirically investigated for their potentially greater effectiveness in patients who are, in general, much younger, naive to the mental health system, and possibly capable of full integration into society. Reducing delay in treatment initiation may be complex, may involve adopting early identification strategies, and may pose significant systemic and conceptual challenges. The 2 aspects of early intervention--integration of phase-specific treatments and early case identification--need to go hand in hand to ensure that another opportunity will not be missed in our efforts to improve the outcomes of these most serious of all mental disorders.