Janssen Pharma's Futurum For Schizophrenia

It has long been realized that a possibility of improving the outlook for schizophrenics, their families, and the cost of care for the state health care system exists in the recognition and intervention at the prodomal or prepsychotic stage of the illness. In support of this, Janssen Pharmaceutica will launch Futurum on October 10, World Mental Health Day. Presented at the World Congress of Psychiatry on August 24 in Madrid, Spain, this is a research and education project for those involved in the field of schizophenia.

It is thought that the first episode of psychosis may be preceeded by certain low-grade behavioral signs. Such predictors do not exist at the present time, but any such factor could be used to accurately time the onset of psychosis and the patient's conjunctive antipsychotic treatment. The Schizophenia Bulletin (vol 22, number 2, 1996) has been dedicated to this subject.

Prodomal symptoms are thought to include depression and social withdrawal, not only from family life, which is relatively common in adolescents, but also from the social group. These symptoms are very unspecific in nature but in addition, these signs would appear to be accompanied by certain cognitive deficits in the individual.