In psychiatry, a prodrome refers to the period of time a person may exibit psychiatric symptoms that may not be serious enough to generate medical attention, but significant enough to cause problems in the person’s functioning. This period precedes the development of the full blown psychiatric disorder.
One example of how this may manifest is as follows: You may notice the person isn’t quite right for some period of time. They may have mild depression or be irritable or overly suspicious of others raising concerns about their mental health. Since the problem comes and goes, no one may say much about it. The person may feel like they are losing control or feels depressed, but also may not say much to others about it. Then it seems things build and the person has a “break down” with more obvious depressed, manic or psychotic symptoms.
A person may have a prodromal period lasting months to years. We often see prodromes in illnesses such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Since the incidence of these illnesses peak in early 20’s for males and late 20’s for females, the prodrome may be seen as early as late teens or early 20’s. Studies show early medical intervention during this period can make a big difference in the course of the person’s illness.
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