BackgroundSevere mental illness (SMI), including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and severe depression, is responsible for a substantial proportion of disability in the population. This article describes the aims and design of a research study that takes a novel approach to targeted prevention of SMI. It is based on the rationale that early developmental antecedents to SMI are likely to be more malleable than fully developed mood or psychotic disorders and that low-risk interventions targeting antecedents may reduce the risk of SMI.Methods/DesignFamilies Overcoming Risks and Building Opportunities for Well-being (FORBOW) is an accelerated cohort study that includes a large proportion of offspring of parents with SMI and embeds intervention trials in a cohort multiple randomized controlled trial (cmRCT) design. Antecedents are conditions of the individual that are distressing but not severely impairing, predict SMI with moderate-to-large effect sizes and precede the onset of SMI by at least several years. FORBOW focuses on the following antecedents: affective lability, anxiety, psychotic-like experiences, basic symptoms, sleep problems, somatic symptoms, cannabis use and cognitive delay. Enrolment of offspring over a broad age range (0 to 21 years) will allow researchers to draw conclusions on a longer developmental period from a study of shorter duration. Annual assessments cover a full range of psychopathology, cognitive abilities, eligibility criteria for interventions and outcomes. Pre-emptive early interventions (PEI) will include skill training for parents of younger children and courses in emotional well-being skills based on cognitive behavioural therapy for older children and youth. A sample enriched for familial risk of SMI will enhance statistical power for testing the efficacy of PEI.DiscussionFORBOW offers a platform for efficient and unbiased testing of interventions selected according to best available evidence. Since few differences exist between familial and ’sporadic’ SMI, the same interventions are likely to be effective in the general population. Comparison of short-term efficacy of PEI on antecedents and the long term efficacy for preventing the onset of SMI will provide an experimental test of the etiological role of antecedents in the development of SMI.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12888-014-0344-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Objective: Schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorders often have their onset in adolescence. The sequelae of these illnesses can negatively alter the trajectory of emotional, cognitive, and social development in children and youth if left untreated. Early and appropriate interventions can improve outcomes. This article aims to identify best practices in the pharmacotherapy management of children and youth with schizophrenia spectrum disorders.Methods: A systematic search was conducted for published guidelines for schizophrenia and schizophrenia spectrum disorders in children and youth (under age 18 years). Recommendations were drawn from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines on psychosis and schizophrenia in children and youth (2013 and 2015 updates). Current guidelines were adopted using the ADAPTE process, which includes consensus ratings by a panel of experts.Results: Recommendations identified covered a range of issues in the pharmacotherapy management of children and youth with schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Further work in this area is warranted as we continue to further understand their presentation in the developing brain. Conclusions: Canadian guidelines for the pharmacotherapy management of children and youth with schizophrenia spectrum disorders are essential to assist clinicians in treating this vulnerable population. Ongoing work in this area is recommended.Keywords adolescent-onset schizophrenia, early-onset schizophrenia, schizophrenia and psychotic spectrum disorders, clinical practice guidelines, pharmacotherapy, treatment guidelines, children and youth Schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorders are illnesses that carry significant morbidity and mortality for those affected. These illnesses often have their onset in adolescence and can significantly interfere with the normal trajectory of development. Early interventions with appropriate and stage-specific psychological and pharmacological modalities can, however, lead to better and, in some, optimal outcomes in this population. The following recommendations were developed to assist clinicians in providing pharmacological interventions for children and youth up to the age of 18 years (termed early onset) with schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorders. The recommendations and associated discussions were drawn from a number of sources, with the greatest weight placed on evidence based on randomized controlled trials or systematic reviews available in this age range as well as consensus statements

Objective: Young people who are at clinical high risk (CHR) of developing psychosis are often help seeking and have significant distress and dysfunction. There are limited guidelines for the assessment and treatment for this population. The aim of this guideline was to develop treatment recommendations for this at-risk group.Method: A systematic search was conducted for published guidelines for CHR. All current guidelines for schizophrenia were reviewed for treatment guidelines on individuals at CHR. The recommendations adopted were primarily drawn from the European Psychiatric Association (EPA) guidance on the early intervention in clinical high-risk states of psychoses and the 2014 National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines on the treatment and management of those at CHR for psychosis.Results: After the guideline development process described, 9 recommendations were developed based on the quality of evidence, appropriateness for the Canadian health care system, and clinical expert consensus.Conclusions: Assessment by an expert in the field was the first recommendation. It was recommended that treatment follow a staged approach with psychological treatments being the first-line treatment and pharmacotherapy reserved for adults, those who did not respond to psychological interventions, and those who had more severe symptoms.

Background: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and lower cognitive ability have been linked with increased likelihood of exposure to adversity. We hypothesized that these associations may be partly due to genetic factors. Methods: We calculated polygenic scores for ADHD and intelligence and assessed psychopathology and general cognitive ability in a sample of 297 youth aged 5-27 years enriched for offspring of parents with mood and psychotic disorders. We calculated an adversity score as a mean of 10 indicators, including socio-economic disadvantage, childhood maltreatment and bullying. We tested the effects of polygenic scores, externalizing symptoms and IQ on adversity scores using mixed-effects linear regression. Results: Externalizing symptoms and general cognitive ability showed expected positive and negative relationships with adversity, respectively. Polygenic scores for intelligence were unrelated to adversity, but polygenic scores for ADHD were associated with adversity (b = 0.23, 95% CI 0.13 to 0.34, p < .0001). ADHD polygenic scores uniquely explained 4.0% of variance in adversity score. The relationship between polygenic scores for ADHD and adversity was independently significant among individuals with (b = 0.49, 95% CI 0.25 to 0.75, p < .0001) and without (b = 0.14, 95% CI 0.02 to 0.26, p = .022) ADHD. Conclusions: A genetic score indexing liability to ADHD was associated with exposure to adversity in early life. Previously observed associations between externalizing symptoms, lower cognitive ability and adversity may be partially attributed to genetic liability to ADHD.

BACKGROUND: Stimulants, such as methylphenidate, are among the most commonly used medications in children and adolescents. Psychotic symptoms have been reported as rare adverse reactions to stimulants but have not been systematically inquired about in most previous studies. Family history of mental illness may increase the vulnerability to druginduced psychotic symptoms. We examined the association between stimulant use and psychotic symptoms in sons and daughters of parents with major mood and psychotic disorders.

The pharmacotherapy of schizophrenia remains an ongoing challenge for researchers and clinicians alike. Current medications remain suboptimal to effectively treat this illness despite the recent surge of what are considered to be better antipsychotics: the atypicals. The atypicals cause fewer extrapyramidal symptoms and tardive dyskinesia, but there is growing concern regarding the significant long-term metabolic and cardiac adverse effects of these novel antipsychotics. There are differences among the atypicals in their propensity to produce these adverse effects, and clinicians should weigh the risk-benefit ratio for each drug with each individual patient. Diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and unhealthy lifestyle choices are on the rise in the general population, and individuals with chronic schizophrenia are even more at risk. The dilemma clinicians face in trying to avoid the neurological morbidity of the typicals (extrapyramidal side effects and tardive dyskinesia) is the risk of consequently exposing patients to both the morbidity and potential mortality of the atypicals (cardiovascular, endocrine, and metabolic adverse effects). The importance of baseline investigations and monitoring at regular intervals as well as identification of patients at risk for obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular morbidity has become crucial. Informed decision making is essential for successful antipsychotic pharmacotherapy. For a condition, which often necessitates long-term pharmacotherapy, the importance of prevention and (or) minimization of morbidity and mortality related to adverse effects of such pharmacotherapy cannot be understated.

BackgroundChildren of parents with mood and psychotic disorders are at elevated risk for a range of behavioral and emotional problems. However, as the usual reporter of psychopathology in children is the parent, reports of early problems in children of parents with mood and psychotic disorders may be biased by the parents' own experience of mental illness and their mental state.MethodsIndependent observers rated psychopathology using the Test Observation Form in 378 children and youth between the ages of 4 and 24 (mean = 11.01, s.d. = 4.40) who had a parent with major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, or no history of mood and psychotic disorders.ResultsObserved attentional problems were elevated in offspring of parents with major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia (effect sizes ranging between 0.31 and 0.56). Oppositional behavior and language/thought problems showed variable degrees of elevation (effect sizes 0.17 to 0.57) across the three high-risk groups, with the greatest difficulties observed in offspring of parents with bipolar disorder. Observed anxiety was increased in offspring of parents with major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder (effect sizes 0.19 and 0.25 respectively) but not in offspring of parents with schizophrenia.ConclusionsOur results suggest that externalizing problems and cognitive and language difficulties may represent a general manifestation of familial risk for mood and psychotic disorders, while anxiety may be a specific marker of liability for mood disorders. Observer assessment may improve early identification of risk and selection of youth who may benefit from targeted prevention.

Objective: The objective of this article is to identify best practices in the diagnosis and assessment of patients with schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorders. The diagnosis and assessment may occur in a range of situations from the emergency room to the outpatient clinic and at different stages of the disorder. The focus may be on acute exacerbations of illness, residual symptoms, levels of function, or changes in the response to treatment. Methods: A systematic search was conducted for guidelines published in the last 5 years for schizophrenia and schizophrenia spectrum disorders. The guidelines were rated by at least 2 raters, and recommendations adopted on the diagnosis and assessment were primarily drawn from the American Psychiatric Association practice guidelines for the psychiatric evaluation of adults and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guideline on psychosis and schizophrenia in adults. A number of de novo recommendations were also developed. Results: Eleven recommendations were identified that cover a range of assessment situations from diagnosis to the involvement of families in assessments.Conclusions: An accurate assessment establishes the baseline for treatment planning based on clinical decision making for both pharmacotherapy and psychosocial treatments.