The feasibility of applying the clinical staging paradigm to the care of people with mental disorders

Clinical staging has traditionally been established with very good results in the care of serious physical illness, and might well be applied to mental illnesses that are characterised by a progressive course. The key rationale for this paradigm is to guarantee early identification and treatment for the illness, so preventing its progression to a more advanced and severe stage. It would also provide a useful framework for optimal treatment according to the stages of the different disorders. Although in the field of psychiatry this model has been implemented to date almost exclusively in non-affective psychosis, the fact is that in recent years suggestions have been made recommending its application to other major mental disorders. To sustain this initiative, the chapter explores the available evidence supporting the feasibility of applying the key elements of the model to the different major mental disorders. The impact of adopting this model in the theory and practice of psychiatry would also be discussed.