Why Does Schizophrenia Develop at Late Adolescence?

Governments around the world have given priority to "early intervention", i.e. the early diagnosis and treatment of young adults with psychotic symptoms.

One of the main problems with this approach, is that only a small proportion of these young adults can be expected to go on to develop schizophrenia, yet all the treatment regimes are derived from work with adults who have had full psychotic episodes.

Why Does Schizophrenia Develop at Late Adolescence? proposes a controversial new model of how schizophrenia develops in late adolescence and presents clinical material aimed at influencing the way psychosis is treated, building on a state-of-the-art reassessment of the field.

• A major reconceptualisation of how schizophrenia develops
• A controversial approach
• Early intervention programmes are now extremely widespread, so there is much interest in the area and how best to treat this serious psychotic disorder

ABOUT THE AUTHORS ix

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS x

INTRODUCTION xi

SECTION ONE: WHAT IS THIS SCHIZOPHRENIA?

Chapter 1 Schizophrenia: What is it? 3

Chapter 2 Biological Disease or Psychological Problem? Who is Right? 13

Chapter 3 Why Young Men? What the Hell is Going On in Late Adolescence? 33

Chapter 4 Why Might Some People be Blocked? 51

Section Summary 60

SECTION TWO: PSYCHOSIS AND THE SELF

Chapter 5 The Crisis of the Adolescent Self 63

Chapter 6 The Mystery of the Self Why have it? What is it? 65

Chapter 7 The Potential and the Limit 73

Chapter 8 How is the Self Constructed? 77

Chapter 9 The Insecure Self (Le Neant) 79

Chapter 10 Alienated/Engulfed Self (Objectite') 83

Section Summary 90

SECTION THREE: PERSONAL ACCOUNTS

Chapter 11 How We Asked People to Give Their Personal Accounts 93

Chapter 12 Results I: Anger and Catastrophes 104

Chapter 13 Further Results: Linking Conflict Interactions to Symptoms 111

Chapter 14 Peer and Romantic Conflicts 133

Section Summary 144

SECTION FOUR: WHAT CAN BE DONE? THERAPEUTIC IDEAS

Chapter 15 “Character-based” Training 151

Chapter 16 Overcoming Interpersonal Blocks to Self-construction 168

Chapter 17 Overcoming Symptoms 186

Section Summary 201

Concluding Remarks 202

Appendix The Self and Other Scale 203

References 205

Author Index 217

Subject Index 221

Chris Harrop is the author of Why Does Schizophrenia Develop at Late Adolescence?: A Cognitive-Developmental Approach to Psychosis, published by Wiley.

Peter Trower is the author of Why Does Schizophrenia Develop at Late Adolescence?: A Cognitive-Developmental Approach to Psychosis, published by Wiley. What is schizophrenia? Is it a nervous breakdown or a neurochemical malfunction? Why does it develop mostly in late adolescence?

In this groundbreaking and innovative book, Chris Harrop and Peter Trower outline a whole new way of understanding schizophrenia. Controversially, they argue that symptoms seen as psychosis can be linked to the typical psychological development of adolescence and, in particular, to problems constructing an independent, adult self.

This unique psychological account of schizophrenia, written in accessible language, offers insights and practical therapeutic techniques that will be of value to young people with this problem, their families and anyone working with adolescents.

For therapists and all those working in mental health services, particularly those interested in early intervention, this book is essential reading.

‘… a valuable contribution to what remains one of the most problematical issues for health providers, receivers and researchers.’ Dr Paul Patterson

‘… what Peter and Chris have to say is controversial, but I suspect this work will be regarded in time to come as "trail-blazing".’ Professor Max Birchwood