Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia symptoms can make it difficult to participate in everyday activities and many people with schizophrenia face significant health, social, and economic challenges. People with schizophrenia often experience a delay between the onset of symptoms and the start of treatment, which can impact their response to treatment and lead to worse health and well-being over the long term.

Research shows that gradual changes in thinking, mood, and social functioning often appear before the first episode of psychosis. Identifying these subtle changes and connecting people with treatment before their first episode could have long-term benefits for their health, well-being, and daily functioning. Treatment can help people with schizophrenia engage in school or work, achieve independence, and enjoy personal relationships.

NIMH supports research to understand the origins of schizophrenia and clarify how symptoms develop over time. Researchers are studying ways to identify people who are likely to develop schizophrenia before psychosis and other symptoms emerge. They’re also trying to find better ways to evaluate a person’s symptoms and functioning and predict how they will change over time.

We’re funding research that builds on these findings to develop more effective approaches to prevention and treatment. NIMH-supported research explores new treatment approaches that target the disorder's specific cognitive, emotional, or interpersonal aspects. Researchers are working to improve and expand coordinated specialty care, a recovery-oriented approach to treating early psychosis that emphasizes shared decision-making among specialists, the person experiencing psychosis, and family members. They’re also looking at ways to implement evidence-based treatment and services in community settings.

NIMH supports the Accelerating Medicines Partnership® Program for Schizophrenia, a public-private partnership that aims to identify new and better treatment targets for schizophrenia and related mental health conditions. We also support the Early Psychosis Intervention Network, a research initiative focused on using data to continuously improve early psychosis treatment.