The Pros and Cons of the Prodrome Longitudinal Study

The National Institute of Mental Health has funded the North American Prodrome longitudinal study, which has developed a tool that uses clinical and cognitive evaluations to estimate psychosis risk for individuals identified as being clinical high risk. There is some interest in using anti psychotic medication in the pro dermal state to see if that would reduce the impact of psychotic episodes or prevent them. Another possibility comes out of the recognition now through epidemiologic studies that early marijuana exposure increases the risk of psychosis.