Mind the delay: duration of untreated psychosis is associated with short-term outcomes in first-episode schizophrenia
Zhenqiang Xu
BackgroundSchizophrenia is a severe mental disorder associated with substantial disability. Although a growing body of evidence suggests that the duration of untreated psychosis (DUP) may influence prognosis, findings remains inconsistent.MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed 99 first-episode schizophrenia patients hospitalized at Shantou University Mental Health Center between 2015 and 2019. DUP was categorized as short (≤26 weeks) or long (>26 weeks). Symptom improvement was assessed as changes i