Identifying the young person at risk of psychosis

At least 10% of the population experience chronic psychiatric disorders, and these generally first manifest in adolescence. More than 3% of the general population develop a psychotic disorder such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder at some time in their lives. The World Bank predicts that by 2020 mental health will become the most costly healthcare sector and the global burden of disease attributable to neuropsychiatric disorder will increase by 50%. When this occurs, neuropsychiatric disorders will represent 15% of the global human disease burden. Given these projections, preventative measures are urgently needed.