At-risk mental states: possible clinical and theoretical developments

At-risk mental state (ARMS) is a clinical condition characterized by a possibile development towards a psychotic disorder; early detection of ARMS is cur-rently a focus of the scientific community. From an etiopathogenetic perspective, the construct of ARMS is happily married with the neurodevelop-mental model, in which the onset of psychosis is a long-term process that starts with a risk load that is based on genetic factors. Toxic, infectious, and metabolic fac-tors are putatively involved during pregnancy; perina-tal complications and early relational experiences are involved in this process from birth onward. Neurodevelopment is a delicate process of sequen-tial, timely changes leading to growth and the assump-tion of something appearing as a definite form, whic