Proposed by the EPA Section on Prevention of Mental Disorders. - Early intervention in Psychosis is one of the most dynamic and original areas in contemporary mental health for several interrelated reasons. Indeed, in the last two decades EIP has been a tremendous catalyzer for research, service-reform and concept-innovation in the broader field of psychiatry. However, as every innovative paradigm, EIP has entered a maturity phase in which reconceptualization of goals, strategies and opportunities to solve wide-scale, real-world problems are mandatory. This symposium will offer a critical, multilateral over-view of the EIP field, capitalizing on the contribution of leading international clinicians and researchers who have a direct, plurennial experience in the field. The symposium proposal is a collegial expression of the EPA Section of prevention of mental disorders.

Proposed by the EPA section on Schizophrenia and Prevention of Mental Disorders -Psychotic disorders and particularly schizophrenia are severe mental illnesses which typically emerge during adolescence and young adulthood. This symposium will address two important components of early intervention aiming at improving functional outcomes in schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders, namely timely assessment and treatment. Briefly, Prof. Mucci (Italy) will discuss functional impairment in recent-onset schizophrenia spectrum disorders, Prof. Glenthøj (Denmark) will focus on early assessment of negative symptoms and related treatment strategies. Then Prof. Thorup (Denmark) will illuminate the often neglected aspect of Family high risk populations and their value for the purpose of early intervention. Finally, Prof. Rancans (Latvia) will present a critical overview of the treatment of schizophrenia from a real world perspective.