The prodromal phase of psychosis.

The onset of frank psychosis is usually preceded by a prodromal phase characterized by attenuated psychotic symptoms and a marked deterioration in psychosocial functioning. The last two decades have seen an enormous increase in research work in this area, generating a series of new findings that have significantly advanced out understanding of the neurobiology of psychosis. A key challenge for research in this field is to translate these findings into improvements in the clinical management of the early phase of psychosis.