The last few decades have seen a paradigm shift in the way we think about serious mental illness, and particularly schizophrenia. Until quite recently, schizophrenia was considered as an illness with an almost inevitably poor prognosis, with little hope of doing more than managing the symptoms with medication. However, research over the last two decades has shown that this bleak outlook is by no means justified, and that early and appropriate intervention can change the course of illnesses like schizophrenia.