IRAOS Manual : Interview for the Retrospective Assessment of the Onset and Course of Schizophrenia and Other Psychoses

The Interview for the Retrospective Assessment of the Onset of Schizophrenia and Other Psychoses (IRAOS) allows systematic research on the onset of schizophrenia. The social course, symptoms, disability and treatment from the first signs or indicators of illness until the time of interview are assessed. In addition to studying the onset and early course of schizophrenia and other non-organic psychotic disorders, the present revised version of the IRAOS can be used in research on affective psychoses. In the socio-demographic part of the instrument the entire life of the patient is thoroughly recorded with the help of the so-called continuity items. With these items, based on six key social roles, breaks in social development and their causes can be assessed. The episodes part provides information on the current as well as earlier episodes of illness and the relevant treatments. The part on indicators deals with a retrospective recording of symptoms that might be "indicators" of a beginning psychiatric illness or are relevant to diagnosing the disorder in question. The aim is to determine onset, end and course for each indicator and each illness episode.