ABSTRACT
Early detection (ED) is a guiding principle in somatic medicine that has prognostic value for improving outcome for a number of severe illnesses, yet is also problematic due to several methodological and practical considerations. In this chapter, we discuss whether the criticism that has been directed towards screening procedures for diseases such as breast cancer, for example, are applicable and valid for psychosis or pre-psychosis. To this aim, we consider and compare epistemological differences for somatic versus mental disorders. Finally, we describe and summarize our experiences from an intensive early detection programme for psychosis during the past decade in Norway.
