Early intervention in schizophrenia: three frameworks for guiding ethical inquiry

Psychiatric research is making important strides toward early detection and treatment of schizophrenia. Discovery of genetic markers, identifiable prodromes, and low-risk interventions fuel this vital scientific movement. At the same time, investigators and clinicians are studying the ethical questions that arise whenever the bounds of diagnosis and treatment are evolving rapidly. This ethical analysis generally falls within three dominant frameworks of bioethics: the conceptualization of disease, scientific uncertainty, and risk-factor ethics. These frameworks are explored as potential guides for directing ethical inquiry in early intervention.