Sociaal disfunctioneren van jongeren met een ultrahoog risico op het ontwikkelen van een eerste psychose

BACKGROUND: Schizophrenia is associated with severe social deficits. Social dysfunction is common in young persons with an ultra high risk (UHR) of developing a psychotic disorder. AIM: To present an overview of the literature on social deficits in the UHR phase, and to find out what role these deficits play in the prediction of a first psychotic episode. METHOD: We searched the literature using PsycINFO (covering the period from 1995 to January 2013) in order to locate articles relating to the role of social dysfunction in the UHR phase. RESULTS: Young persons who meet one or more UHR criteria face more social constraints than the general population. Effect-sizes indicate differences ranging from medium to substantial (range Cohen's d = .63-4.18). Impairments in both social and role functioning contribute to the prediction of a first psychotic episode in uhr young persons. CONCLUSION: Research conducted on UHR adolescents shows, without exception, that functional limitations are already manifest in the phase preceding a clinical psychotic disorder. The experiencing of UHR symptoms is itself associated with (severe) social deficits that require treatment, regardless of whether the help-seeking UHR individual eventually develops a psychosis.