Prevention Trial of Family Focused Treatment in Youth at Risk for Psychosis

Preventing psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia and associated functional disability could relieve an enormous burden of personal and family suffering and economic losses to society. This project aims to conduct a pilot randomized trial to determine the efficacy of a family-focused treatment in comparison with treatment-as-usual in enhancing functional outcomes, stabilizing symptoms, and preventing or delaying the onset of full psychosis in transitional age youth with prodromal symptoms. The results of this study will be crucial for the development of cost-effective, evidence-based psychosocial approaches to psychosis prevention and thus will have major implications for public health.