Psychotic illnesses, such as schizophrenia, most often manifest during late adolescence and early adulthood. Although only a few percent of people are diagnosed with a psychotic disorder at some point in their lives, they are often affected for a long time by the illness, which can affect all aspects of life. Therefore, it is important to better understand psychosis and investigate how severe illness can be prevented.  CCC2000 focuses on investigating risk markers for the development of psychosis in order to gain knowledge that can be used to improve the prevention and treatment of psychosis in adolescents.

International research has shown that although psychotic disorders are rare, psychotic experiences (PE) are common, especially among children and adolescents. These can be hallucinations (such as hearing voices or seeing visions) or delusions (feeling watched or followed, or feeling like you have special powers. For most, these types of experiences are transient, but for a small number, they are associated with persistent mental health difficulties and progression towards persistent psychosis. We interviewed participants in CCC2000 about psychotic experiences around the start of puberty, at 11-12 years of age. We found that children with psychotic experiences tended to interpret sensory impressions and social interactions as negative and difficult, which may imply a particular psychological vulnerability. Children with psychosis experiences in CCC2000 were more likely to have poorer mental health and a greater risk of psychiatric diagnoses such as anxiety and depression, as well as autism and ADHD. Thus, psychotic experiences are not only a risk factor for psychotic illness, but an expression of a more general vulnerability. We also found that children of parents with severe mental illness were much more likely to experience psychosis, which further suggests that children who experience psychosis are often vulnerable.

In the studies at age 16, we had a special focus on describing what happens if the psychotic experiences from age 11 continue to be present into adolescence. We investigated psychotic experiences in relation to suicidal behavior, abuse and self-harm that may be associated with new or persistent psychotic experiences. We also examined psychotic experiences in relation to register-based information on contact with psychiatric services and medication use, and found that adolescents with psychotic experiences are more often in contact with the healthcare system.

Overall, the psychosis vulnerability studies are expected to provide knowledge that can be used to detect early signs of mental illness and inform prevention efforts.

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Main research leader: Pia Jeppesen og Martin Køster Rimvall