Five key factors can help predict whether at-risk youth will develop schizophrenia, researchers have found: A genetic risk for schizophrenia combined with recent decline in function; higher levels of unusual thought content; more suspicion/paranoia; more social impairment; and past or current substance abuse. For two-and-a-half years the study followed 291 teenagers considered at high risk for developing schizophrenia to look for a more accurate predictive technique. (All of the study participants had been diagnosed with prodromal syndrome for schizophrenia, meaning they had non-specific symptoms such as paranoia, disorganized communication, and unusual thoughts that could signal the onset of the full-blown disease.) Thirty-five percent of the study participants developed schizophrenia during the study, but of those with two or three of the key factors, 68 percent to 80 percent developed schizophrenia during the course of the study. Researchers say their findings suggest that the first two-and-a-half years after a diagnosis of prodromal syndrome offer “a critical window of opportunity” for identifying brain changes that may lead to psychosis, and for intervening to slow or even prevent the development of psychosis and disability.