ABSTRACT
HUGH RAMSAY, IAN KELLEHER, PADRAIG FLANNERY, MARY C. CLARKE, FIONNUALA LYNCH, MICHELLE HARLEY, DEARBHLA CONNOR, CAROL FITZPATRICK, DEREK W. MORRIS, AND MARY CANNON
3.1 INTRODUCTION
Much research has established that psychotic experiences have a higher prevalence in the general population than psychotic disorders [1-4]. A metaanalysis of all community studies of psychotic experiences in children and adolescents found a median population prevalence of 17% in children aged 9-12 years and 7.5% in those aged 13-18 years [5]. Psychotic experiences in adolescence are associated with high risk for severe psychopathology, both in the immediate term and later into adulthood, including both psychotic
[6-8] and non-psychotic disorders [9-12]. Psychotic experiences share many important risk factors with schizophrenia [13]. For example, in the case of familial risk [14], there is covariation of psychotic experiences with maternal schizophrenia-spectrum disorder [15]. In common with psychotic disorders, psychotic experiences are more prevalent in adolescents who have had traumatic experiences, including physical abuse, exposure to domestic violence and unwanted sexual experiences [16-27].
