Involuntary Movements and Psychotic Onset in High-Risk Adolescents

Preventing psychotic illness would be a major advance in psychiatric therapeutics. Studies have shown that 13% to 40% of adolescents with a prodromal syndrome (characterized by positive and negative symptoms; disorganized behavior; and general disturbance in sleep, mood, and stress response) develop psychotic illness within 2 years. Now, researchers have examined the predictive value of abnormal movements in 40 adolescents (age range, 12–19) who met prodromal criteria.

At baseline and at three annual follow-ups, participants underwent videotaped interviews for diagnostic assessment. Researchers coded 45 minutes of each interview for involuntary movements with a validated rating scale. Some patients took one or more psychotropic medications (…