Clozapine use in early psychosis

Abstract

Background: The superior efficacy of clozapine in treatment resistant schizophrenia has been clearly demonstrated, yet there are often delays in the commencement of clozapine. In this study, we aimed to determine; the proportion of young people with a first episode of psychosis (FEP) who would be considered eligible for clozapine treatment, the theoretical delay in commencing clozapine and to compare the outcomes of those treated with clozapine to those who were eligible but not treated with clozapine. Methods: This study was conducted at Orygen Youth Health (OYH), a youth mental health service for young people aged 15–24. All clients who were treated at the Early Psychosis Prevention and In..