Study	Reason for exclusion
ACE 2003	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia Interventions: CBT + medications vs befriending + medications (no un‐medicated group)
Adson 2003	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with schizophrenia (unknown proportion of first and second episode participants)
Aguilar 1994	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode psychosis Interventions: haloperidol + biperiden vs. haloperidol + placebo (no un‐medicated group)
Ahmed 1997	Allocation: unknown method of assignment to treatment Participants: people with first episode psychosis Interventions: haloperidol vs. risperidone (no un‐medicated group)
Alaghband‐rad 2006a	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode psychosis Interventions: treatment as usual + standard telephone follow‐up vs. treatment as usual + home visit groups (both groups received standard or low dose medications)
Allison 2001	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with psychosis Interventions: Clozapine, Haloperidol, Olanzapine, Risperidone or Placebos (unknown proportion of first and second episodes)
Altamura 1985	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with schizophrenia (n=7) Interventions: fluphenazine (unknown proportion of early episodes; no un‐medicated group)
Altamura 1999b	Allocation:  random assignment to adjunctive antidepressant medication Participants: people (n=76) with diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder and with a concomitant major depressive disorder Interventions: atypical antipsychotic drugs (AAD) vs. haloperidol decanoate (HL‐D) (not an acute schizophrenia treatment study; unknown proportion of early episodes; no un‐medicated group)
Alvarez 2005	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia Intervention: an early behavioural intervention (n=35) vs. routine care (n=27). All had been received antipsychotic treatments (risperidone n=23), olanzapine (n=18) and haloperidol (n=21) before the randomisation (no un‐medicated group)
Amminger 2006	Allocation: randomised Participants: people assessed at ultra high risk for psychosis (UHR), a prodromal phase intervention study Intervention: omega‐3 fatty acids + standard care vs. placebo + standard care (not acute schizophrenia treatment study)
An 2006b	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia Intervention: olanzapine vs. quetiapine (no un‐medicated group)
Anonymous 1972	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with chronic schizophrenia (n=20) Interventions: Piperacetazine vs. Thioridazine (not treatment for people in acute schizophrenia; no un‐medicated group)
Apicella 2001	Allocation: unknown method of assignment to treatment Participants: people with schizophreniform disorder, between the ages of 16 and 40 years of age and who have been recently diagnoses (within the last five years) with schizophrenia, schizophreniform disorder or schizoaffective disorder. Interventions: haloperidol vs. olanzapine (unknown method of assignment to treatment; unknown proportion of first and second episodes; no un‐medicated group)
Apiquian 2003	Allocation: unknown method of assignment to treatment Participants: people with first episode psychosis Interventions: haloperidol (the minimum dose) vs. olanzapine vs. risperidone (unknown method of assignment to treatment; no un‐medicated group)
Appelberg 2004a	Allocation: randomised Participants: people in the clinically stable status of psychosis Interventions: conventional neuroleptic(s), (with a mean dose of 312 chlorpromazine equivalents) vs. olanzapine (unknown proportion of first and second episodes; no un‐medicated group)
Archie 2006	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode psychosis (n=547) Interventions: Integrated care (based on the Assertive Community Treatment model and delivered by a multidisciplinary team and people received social skill training or general psychoeducation as required) vs. standard care (the usual mental health services). Both integrated and standard care could include standard antipsychotic medication (no un‐medicated group)
Ascher‐Svanum 2006a	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with schizophrenia (n=664) Interventions: olanzapine vs. risperidone vs.  typical antipsychotics (unknown proportion of first and second episodes; no un‐medicated group)
Auby 2002	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with stable schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder (mean baseline PANSS 43‐64) Interventions: aripiprazole 30 mg/day (n=12) vs.  45 mg/day (n=7) vs.  60 mg/day (n=7) vs. 75 mg/day (n=7) vs. 90 mg/day (n=7) Outcomes: positive and negative symptoms, akathisia and tachycardia, adverse and side effects (not treatment for acute schizophrenia; no un‐medicated group)
Awad 2006	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first‐episode schizophrenia (ICD‐10) Interventions: olanzapine vs. haloperidol Outcome: psychosocial functioning and QOL (quality of life) (no un‐medicated group)
Bai 2005d	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with schizophrenia Interventions: quetapine and chlorpromazine (unclear proportion of first and second episodes; no un‐medicated group)
Bandelow 1992	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with schizophrenia (ICD‐9). Interventions: 3 groups: continuous medication, intermittent medication with crisis intervention, intermittent medication with early intervention (unclear proportion of first and second episodes; not an acute treatment study, but a follow‐up maintenance treatment study)
Barrowclough 2001b	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with recent onset of schizophrenia (within 2 years) Interventions: CBT + usual treatment vs usual treatment only (no un‐medicated group; usual treatment is unspecified and group assignment is unspecified; this is not an acute treatment study)
Beasley 1996a	xxAllocation: randomised Participants: people with psychosis Interventions: Olanzapine vs Risperidone or Olanzapine vs. placebo (no un‐medicated group; unknown proportion of early episodes)
Beasley 1997	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with schizophrenia Interventions: olanzapine and haloperidol (Unclear proportion of first and second episodes; no un‐medicated group)
Bechdolf 2004a	Allocation: randomised Participants: people in the pre‐psychotic prodromal period Interventions: CBT vs. antipsychotic amisulpride + clinical management vs. clinical management only (not treatment for acute episode schizophrenia)
Bechdolf 2004c	Allocation: randomised Participants: people in the pre‐psychotic prodromal period Interventions: CBT vs. antipsychotic amisulpride + clinical management vs. clinical management only (not treatment for acute episode schizophrenia)
Bechdolf 2005a	Allocation: randomised Participants: people in pre‐psychotic prodromal period Interventions: CBT vs. antipsychotic amisulpride + clinical management vs. clinical management only (not treatment for acute episode schizophrenia)
Bechdolf 2006	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with “subthreshhold psychosis” (5.5% in CBT gruop vs 18.3% in supportive therapy) Interventions: cognitive behavioral therapy vs supportive therapy (Not psychotic; No contrast of medication vs not medication treatment)
Bendall 2004	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode psychosis. Interventions: Befriending vs CBT (No contrast of medication vs not medication treatment)
Bentall 2000	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first and second episode schizophrenia. Interventions: Usual treatment, usual treatment + CBT, or medication + supportive counseling (No un‐medicated group)
Berger 2004a	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with episode psychosis Interventions:Ethyl‐eicosapentaenoic Acid (E‐EPA) vs. placebo (i.e. as a supplement to antipsychotic treatment) (No un‐medicated group)
Berger 2004b	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with episode psychosis Interventions: Ethyl‐eicosapentaenoic Acid (E‐EPA) vs placebo (i.e. as a supplement to antipsychotic treatment) (no un‐medicated group)
Berger 2005	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode psychosis Interventions: antipsychotic medications + Ethyl‐eicosapentaenoic Acid vs antipsychotic medications + placebo (No un‐medicated group)
Berger 2006	Allocation: randomised Participants: people assessed as having high risk for psychosis Interventions:lithium vs placebo (Persons not psychotic; No antipsychotic medication use)
Bertelsen 2004	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode psychosis Interventions: Integrated treatment (standard treatment + ACT) vs standard treatment (No un‐medicated group)
Bertelsen 2005	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode psychosis Interventions:Integrated treatment (standard treatment + ACT) vs standard treatment (No un‐medicated group)
Bertelsen 2006	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode psychosis Interventions: Integrated treatment (ACT + family involvement + social skills training) vs standard treatment (No un‐medicated group)
Binder 2006	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with recent onset schizophrenia (3 or less years from onset) Interventions: risperidol vs. oral olanzapine vs. oral quetiapine (Unclear proportion of first and second episodes; No un‐medicated group)
Birchwood 2000a	Allocation: unclear Participants: people with multiple episodes of severe relapses. Interventions: early intervention vs psychoeducation (Not early episodes; no clear specification of medicated vs un‐medicated groups)
Birchwood 2000b	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with “relapsing psychosis”. Interventions: medication vs placebo (Not first and second episodes)
Birchwood 2000c	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with schizophrenia (n=60) Interventions: targeted medication for 4 weeks (placebo) vs. active medication (Unclear proportion of first and second episodes; no un‐medicated group; not an acute treatment study)
Blaha 1980	Allocation: Unclear Participants: People with schizophrenia (n=32) Interventions: Haloperidol at differing dosages (Unclear proportion of early episodes; No un‐medicated group)
Bola 2003	Allocation:  Combination of 2 cohorts, one cohort assigned to treatment with a quasi‐random procedure (consecutive space available), and the second cohort randomly assigned. Participants: People with first and second episode schizophrenia (n=179) Interventions: Immediate antipsychotic medication in the hospital vs. psychosocial therapeutic milieu with up to 6 week postponement of antipsychotic treatment (Combines randomly assigned and quasi‐randomly assigned cohorts)
Borison 1991b	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with chronic schizophrenia. Interventions: Risperidone vs Haloperidol vs placebo (Not first and second episodes)
Brecher 1998	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with schizophrenia, schizophrenic disorder or psychotic disorder. Interventions: Risperidone vs Olanzapine (Unclear proportion of first and second episodes; No un‐medicated group)
Bredkjar 1999	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode psychosis Interventions: integrated care vs standard care (No un‐medicated group)
Bredkjar 2000	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode psychosis Interventions: integrated care vs.standard care (No un‐medicated group)
Breier 2002b	Allocation: randomised Participants: people at high‐risk for psychosis, symptomatic, prodromal states. Interventions: 1 year medication (PBO or Olanzapine) followed by 1 year of no medication (persons not psychotic)
Brewer 2002	Allocation: randomised Participants: neuroleptics‐naïve people with first episode psychosis Interventions: Haloperidol vs. Risperidone (No un‐medicated group)
Brooker 1992	Allocation: quasi‐experimental design Participants: people with recent diagnosis of schizophrenia. Interventions: psychosocial interventions delivered by community psychiatric nurses plus usual treatment vs usual treatment (unclear proportion of first and second episodes; No contrast of medicated vs un‐medicated group)
Burns 2002b	Allocation: no treatment assignment Participants: people with first episode psychosis Interventions: Not an intervention study (looks for neuroimaging correlates of social functioning) (not an intervention study; no contrast of medicated vs. un‐medicated group; unclear proportion of early episodes)
Burrell 1960	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with acute, multi‐episode schizophrenia and bipolar disorder clinically assessed as “tense” Interventions: Chlorpromazine vs Hydroxyzine vs Placebos (mix of schizophrenia and bipolar cases; not early episodes)
Caffey 1968	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with "all types of acute emotional disturbances" Interventions: brief hospitalization, crisis therapy, and family involvement (mix of diagnoses; Unclear proportion of first and second episodes; Unclear contrast of medication use vs. non‐medication use)
Cao 2000	Allocation: not an intervention study Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (<=2 years) (coded for types of traditional Chinese medicine syndromes) Interventions: Risperidone (not an intervention study; No un‐medicated group)
Carpenter 1977	Allocation:  historical two‐group comparison (NIH acute treatment vs. IPSS Washington, DC cohort), one and two year follow‐ups. Participants:  people with acute schizophrenia, adequate prior work and social functioning, >50% not first‐episode, n=122. Interventions:   (after a 3‐week medication washout period) 1. TAU (hospitalization and antipsychotic medications) n=73; and 2. Milieu treatment (therapeutic community) with minimal antipsychotic medications, n=49 (Historical comparison group study (subjects not randomly allocated to treatment), unclear proportion of first and second episodes)
Carpenter 1982	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with schizophrenia Interventions: targeted and time limited drug use vs continuous drug use (Not an acute treatment study; Unclear proportion of  first and second episodes)
Carpenter 1983b	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. Interventions: targeted drug use vs continuous drug use (not an acute treatment study; Unclear proportion of first and second episodes)
Carpenter 1999a	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder (DSM‐III‐R). Interventions: Diazepam vs. fluphenazine vs. placebo (Not an acute treatment study; Unclear proportion of first and second episodes)
Carson 2000	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with acute relapse of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder Interventions: aripiprazole, haloperidol and placebo (Not first and second episodes)
Carson 2000b	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with chronic schizophrenia. Interventions: aripiprazole and placebo (Not first and second episodes)
Casey 2002	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with chronic and stable schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. Interventions: aripiprazole (Not first and second episodes; No un‐medicated group)
Castilla 2002	Allocation: randomised Participants: children with onset of psychotic symptoms, hallucinations and delusions within 7 days Interventions: Olanzapine and Haloperidol (Not first and second episodes; not adults; No un‐medicated group)
Cavozzoni 2002a	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with schizophrenia during the acute phase(<= 8 weeks) Interventions: haloperidol, risperidone or Clozapine and placebo (Unclear proportion of early episodes)
Centorrino 2003	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. Interventions: haloperidol and Olanzapine (Unclear proportion of first and second episodes; no un‐medicated group; not an acute treatment study)
Chaudhry 2004	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first‐episode schizophrenia Interventions: Randomised trial of the addition of Lamotrigine and Minocycline to standard medication treatment (inadequate detail to determine types of medications used) (No un‐medicated group)
Chen 2000a	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first‐episode schizophrenia Interventions: Risperidone (fixed vs. curative effect dosage groups) (No un‐medicated group)
Chen 2000c	Allocation: unclear method of assignment to treatment Participants: males with first‐episodes schizophrenia Interventions: Risperidone (unclear method of assignment to treatment; No un‐medicated group)
Chen 2004a	Allocation: unclear method of assignment to treatment  Participants: people with first‐episodes schizophrenia Interventions: Risperidone (unclear method of assignment to treatment; controls were not people with schizophrenia; no un‐medicated group)
Chen 2004c	Allocation: unclear method of assignment to treatment Participants: people in a difficult situation and people with stress‐induced schizophrenia Interventions: Neither group receives medication (unclear method of assignment to treatment; Unclear proportion of first and second episodes; No contrast of medicated vs un‐medicated group)
Chen 2006d	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia Interventions: Chlorpromazine and Clozapine (No un‐medicated group)
Cheng 2006b	Allocation: unclear method of assignment to treatment Participants: children with schizophrenia. Interventions: Perphenazine and Risperidone (unclear method of assignment to treatment; Unclear proportion of first and second episodes; No un‐medicated group)
Chiu 2006b	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with atypical schizophrenic Interventions: Olanzapine and Risperidone (Unclear proportion of first and second episode; No un‐medicated group)
Chouinard 1992	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with chronic schizophrenia Interventions: Risperidone, Haloperidol or placebo (Not first and second episodes)
Ciompi 1993	Allocation:  case‐control Participants: People with DSM‐IIIR Schizophrenia or Schizophreniform disorder, onset within one‐year, ages 17‐35, ≥2 of 6 cardinal symptoms of schizophrenia (hallucinations, delusions, thought disorders, catatonia, schizophrenic disorders of affect, severely deviant social behavior), n=44. Interventions: TAU Hospitalization and antipsychotic medications, n=22; therapeutic milieu with time‐limited postponement  (up to 4 weeks) of antipsychotic medications, n=22 (Not randomly assigned to treatment)
Claus 1992	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with chronic schizophrenia. Interventions: Risperidone, Haloperidol (Not first and second episodes; No un‐medicated group)
Conley 1999	Allocation: unclear method of assignment to treatment Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia. Interventions: Risperidone, Clozapine, Olanzapine and typical antipsychotic (unclear method of assignment to treatment; No un‐medicated group)
Craig 2004b	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first or second episode schizophrenia Interventions: assertive outreach with evidence based biopsychosocial interventions (CBT, medication, family support) vs. standard care (control group) delivered by community mental health teams (not an acute treatment study; no un‐medicated group)
Crespo‐Facorro 2006a	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia Interventions: Olanzapine vs Risperidone vs Haloperidol (No un‐medicated group)
Csernansky 2003	Allocation: randomised Participants: people in acute relapse and requiring hospitalization Interventions: Aripiprazole vs. placebo (Not first or second episodes)
Cullberg 2002	Allocation:  Quasi‐random (assigned to treatment available in catchment area) plus one historical (past) comparison group. Participants:  people with first‐episode acute schizophrenia, n=388 Interventions: Milieu treatment with time‐limited (up to 3 week) postponement of antipsychotic medications, n=253; hospital treatment with time‐limited (duration unspecified) antipsychotic medication postponement, n=71; hospital treatment with antipsychotic medications (at a previous time), n=64 (Non‐random assignment to treatments; both contemporary treatments postponed use of antipsychotic medications(i.e., no initial antipsychotic use vs non‐use comparison); unable to assure equality of selection in the historical group)
Dahl 2000	Allocation: not randomised (consecutive) Participants: people with first episode psychosis Interventions: a special program including education, medical/social detection network, early detection team of clinicians (not randomised; not a treatment comparison study; no un‐medicated group)
Daniel 2000b	Allocation: randomised Participants: people in acute schizophrenic relapse and hospitalized. Interventions: aripiprazole vs. haloperidol vs. placebo (Not first and second episodes)
David 1999a	Allocation: unclear method of assignment to treatment Participants: people with schizophrenia   Interventions: Olanzapine vs Risperidone (unclear method of assignment to treatment; Unclear proportion of first and second episodes; No un‐medicated group)
David 1999b	Allocation: unclear method of assignment to treatment Participants: people in early phase schizophrenia or schizophrenic disorder. Interventions: Olanzapine vs. Risperidone vs. Haloperidol (unclear method of assignment to treatment; Unclear proportion of first and second episodes; No un‐medicated group)
David 2000a	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with schizophrenia, schizophriform disorder, or schizoaffective disorder. Interventions: Olanzapine vs. Risperidone vs. Haloperidol (Unclear proportion of first and second episodes; No un‐medicated group)
Davidson 2003	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia Interventions: low‐dose Risperidone vs. low‐dose Haloperidol (No un‐medicated group)
Davidson 2004	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with early psychosis Interventions: Risperidone vs. Haloperidol (No un‐medicated group)
Davis 1977	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with schizophrenia and affective disorders (n=19) Interventions: naloxone vs placebo (Unclear proportion of first and second episodes; mixture of people with schizophrenia and affective disorder)
De Smedt 1999	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode psychosis (DSM‐IV diagnosis of schizophreniform, schizophrenia, or schizoaffective disorder) Interventions: Risperidone vs. Haloperidol (No un‐medicated group)
Deng 2006b	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode psychosis Interventions: early treatment vs. routine treatment (No un‐medicated group)
Ding 2001	Allocation: case‐control group selection Participants: people with first episode psychosis and normals Interventions: Clozapine, unspecified additional antipsychotic, no treatment (not randomly assigned to treatment; not a treatment comparison study)
Dollfus 2006	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with a post‐psychotic depression (DSMIV). Interventions: Olanzapine vs. Risperidone (Not first and second episodes; No un‐medicated group)
Dossenbach 1997	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with schizophrenia Interventions: Olanzapine vs. Fluphenazine (Unknown proportion of first and second episodes; No un‐medicated group)
Dubitsky 2002a	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with stable schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorders. Interventions: aripiprazole vs. olanzapine (Not first and second episode schizophrenia; no un‐medicated group; not an acute treatment study)
Dursun 2002	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode psychosis Interventions: lamotrigine, minocycline and placebo added to treatment as usual (No un‐medicated group)
Eack 2007	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with schizophrenia. Interventions: Cognitive Enhancement Therapy (CET) vs. Enriched Supportive Therapy (Unclear proportion of first and second episodes; Both groups received medications (no contrast of medicated to un‐medicated subjects))
Edwards 1999	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode psychosis Interventions: Clozapine vs. Clozapine plus CBT vs. thioridazine vs. thioridazine plus CBT (No un‐medicated group)
Edwards 2003	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode psychosis not meeting remission criteria within 12 weeks Interventions: Clozapine vs. Clozapine plus CBT vs. thioridazine vs. thioridazine plus CBT (No un‐medicated group)
Edwards 2004	Allocation: randomised Participants: young people with first‐episode psychosis; Interventions: Cannabis + Psychosis (CAP) therapy versus psycho‐education (PE) (Not a study of treatment of schizophrenia but of interventions to reduce cannabis use among people with schizophrenia)
Edwards 2006	Allocation: randomised; Participants: people with first‐episode psychosis; Interventions: Cannabis + Psychosis (CAP) therapy versus psycho‐education (PE) (Not a study of treatment of schizophrenia but of interventions to reduce cannabis use among people with schizophrenia)
Eguiluz 1998	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first‐episode psychosis (n=79) Interventions: Psychoeducation plus medications compared to standard treatment (no un‐medicated group, unclear proportion of early episodes, not an acute treatment study)
Eli Lilly 2006d	Allocation: randomised Participants: people experiencing exacerbation of psychotic symptoms within the previous 2 weeks. Interventions: Risperidone vs. Olanzapine (No un‐medicated group, unclear proportion of first and second episodes)
Emsley 1999	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode psychosis (n=183) Interventions: Risperidone vs. Haloperidol (No un‐medicated group)
Emsley 2004b	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with recent onset schizophrenia Interventions: Risperidone (n=278) vs. Haloperidol (n=277) (No un‐medicated group, unclear proportion of first and second episodes)
Emsley 2006b	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode psychosis (n=522) Interventions: Risperidone vs. Haloperidol (No un‐medicated group)
Emsley 2007	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode psychosis Interventions: Risperidone vs. Haloperidol (No un‐medicated group)
Engelhardt 1994	Allocation: Randomised Participants: people with schizophrenia with at least one year of illness (Studies 1 and 2); children with schizophrenia (Study 3) Inverventions: Butaperazine and fluphenazine (Study 2) (Unclear proportion of first and second episodes; No un‐medicated group)
Faber 2005	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode psychosis (n=54) Interventions: Risperidone vs. Olanzapine. One group discontinued their medication after 6 months of stable remission, the other group continued medication and served as the control group (Not an acute treatment study (medication withdrawal post‐stabilization))
Fabre 1995	Allocation: randomised Participants: 12 males with chronic and sub‐chronic schizophrenia Interventions: Quetiapine vs. placebo (Not first and second episodes)
Fan 2006	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode psychosis Interventions: Risperidone vs. Chlorpromazine (No un‐medicated group)
Fang 2003	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode psychosis (n=126) Interventions: Risperidone plus psychosocial treatment vs. Risperidone (No un‐medicated group)
Ferenc 2000	Allocation: unclear method of allocation to treatment Participants: people with schizophrenia. Interventions: Olanzapine vs. Fluphenazine (unclear method of allocation to treatment; Unclear proportion of first and second episodes; No un‐medicated group)
Ferrari 1997	Allocation: randomised Participants: young people with chronic schizophrenia Interventions: Risperidone vs. conventional neuroleptics (Not first and second episodes; No un‐medicated group)
Filatre 1998	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode psychosis Interventions: antipsychotic medications vs. antidepressant medications (No un‐medicated group)
Fleischhacker 2005	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=500) Interventions: second‐generation antipsychotic medications (amisulpride, quetiapine, olanzapine and ziprasidone) vs. low dose of haloperidol (No un‐medicated group)
Fowler 2004	Allocation: randomised Participants: young people with duration less than five years and relative remission of psychotic symptoms (less than moderate severity on the PANSS). Interventions: SRCBT (Social Recovery oriented CBT) vs. standardized treatment as usual. (standard use of medication in both group) (Not an acutetreatment study;Unclear proportion of first and second episodes; no un‐medicated group)
Gaebel 1993	Allocation: unclear Participants: People with stabilized schizophrenia with an average duration of 7.2 years since onset and an average of 3.0 prior hospitalizaitons. Interventions: Maintenance treatment vs. early intervention vs. crisis intervention (Not an acute treatment study, predominantly multi‐episodes)
Gaebel 1995	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with schizophrenia (n=364) Interventions: maintenance does vs. early intervention vs. crisis intervention (Unclear proportion of first and second episodes; No un‐medicated group; a study of maintenance treatments not acute treatment)
Gaebel 2001	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with schizophrenia (n=115 first‐episodes; n=248 multi‐episodes) Interventions: maintenance does vs. early intervention vs. crisis intervention (the proportion of first episodes is less than 50% (115/363=32%); No un‐medicated group, a study of maintenance treatments not acute treatment)
Gaebel 2002a	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first‐episode schizophrenia Interventions: Risperidone vs Haloperidol (8 weeks acute, n=360; 1 year maintenance, n=280; 1 year randomised open withdrawal plus early intervention with either neuroleptic or lorazepam, n=136) (No un‐medicated group during acute treatment)
Gaebel 2004	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=142) Interventions: Risperidone vs. low‐dose haloperidol (No un‐medicated group)
Gaebel 2005	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=159) Interventions: Risperidone vs. low‐dose haloperidol (No un‐medicated group)
Gaebel 2006	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first‐episode schizophrenia Interventions: Risperidone vs Haloperidol (8 weeks acute, n=302; 1 year maintenance, n=176; 1 year randomised open withdrawal plus early intervention with either neuroleptic or lorazepam, n=57) (No un‐medicated group during acute treatment phase)
Gafoor 2005a	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophreniform psychosis (n=60) Interventions: Risperidone vs. Quetiapine Outcomes: depressive and anxiety symptoms (No un‐medicated group, treatment for depression within schizophrenia)
Gafoor 2006	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophreniform psychosis (n=72) Interventions: Risperidone vs. Quetiapine (No un‐medicated group)
Gallo 2006	Allocation:  Randomised (n=180) Participants:  Persons with first‐episode schizophrenia Interventions:  trimethoprim sulfamethoxazole plus anpipsychotics compared to antipsychotic treatment only (no un‐medicated group)
Gan 1999	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=60, BPRS>=40, CCMD‐2‐R) Interventions: Clozapine vs Risperidone (No un‐medicated group)
Gan 2000	Allocation: unclear method of allocation to treatment Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=46) Interventions: Risperidone (unclear method of allocation to treatment; No un‐medicated group)
Garcia 2006	Allocation: unclear method of assignment to treatment Participants: people with schizophrenia Interventions: atypical vs typical antipsychotics (no definition of medicines) (unclear method of assignment to treatment; Unclear proportion of first and second episodes; No un‐medicated group)
Garety 2000a	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with early schizophrenia (first or second episode) Interventions: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (No contrast of medicated vs. un‐medicated group)
Garety 2006	Allocation: randomised; Participants: people with first or second episode schizophrenia (n=144) Interventions: care by the early onset team (a mix of medication, cognitive behavioral therapy, vocational input and family interventions, which provided based on individual need) vs. standard care (No un‐medicated group)
Garver 2005	Allocation: unclear method of assignment to treatment Participants: people with schizophrenia Interventions: Risperidone vs. Ziprasidone vs. Haloperidol (Unclear proportion of first or second episodes; unclear method of assignment to treatment)
Gary 1990	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with schizophrenia Interventions: experimental group (n=11) vs. control group (n=12): both group received medication and experimental group was given instructions regarding self‐assessment of extrapyramidal side effects (unclear proportion of first and second episodes; No un‐medicated group)
Gattaz 1989	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with schizophrenia (n=30; 8 first episodes) Interventions: haloperidol plus bromocriptine (n= 15) vs. haloperidol plus placebo (n= 15) (proportion of first episodes is less than 50% (8/30=27%); No un‐medicated group)
Genduso 1996	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with schizophrenia, schizophreniform disorder, or schizoaffective disorder (n=1996) Interventions: Olanzapine (n=1,336) vs. Haloperidol (n=660) (Unclear proportion of first and second episodes; No un‐medicated group)
Gharabawi 2006d	Allocation: unclear method of assignment to treatment Participants: people with first‐episode psychosis Interventions: haloperidol vs. Risperidone (unclear method of assignment to treatment; No un‐medicated group)
Gillin 1978	Allocation: unclear method of assignment to treatment Participants: People with schizophrenia Interventions: pretreatment with pimozide (unclear method of assignment to treatment; Unknown proportion of first and second episodes; No un‐medicated group)
Glenthoj 2000	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first‐episode and drug‐naïve schizophrenia Interventions: Risperidone vs. zuclopenthixol (No un‐medicated group)
Glenthoj 2005	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first‐episode and drug‐naïve schizophrenia (n=19) Interventions: low doses of the typical drug zuclopenthixol vs. the atypical compound risperidone (No un‐medicated group)
Godemann 1999	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with psychosis Interventions: long‐term vs. interval medication (Unknown proportion of first and second episodes; No un‐medicated group)
Good 2004	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with schizophrenia‐like illnesses and neuroleptics‐naive Interventions: haloperidol vs. risperidone (No un‐medicated group)
Grasso 1974	Not related to medication treatment
Grawe 1998	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with recent onset schizophrenia Interventions: optimal multimodal treatment (neuroleptics, family psycho‐education, family communicational problem‐solving and stress management training, individualized psychotherapy) VS. treatment‐as‐usual (No un‐medicated group)
Grawe 2006	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with less than 2‐year duration of schizophrenia Interventions: integrated (pharmacotherapy, case management, cognitive‐behavioural family treatment) vs. standard treatment (optimal pharmacotherapy and case management) (No un‐medicated group)
Green 2001b	Allocation: randomised; Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder or schizophreniform disorder Interventions: olanzapine vs. haloperidol (No un‐medicated group)
Gumley 2001b	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with schizophrenia‐spectrum disorder Interventions: two methods of early signs monitoring : standardized vs. individualized early signs monitoring systems (Unknown proportion of first and second episodes; Unknown medication)
Gumley 2003a	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with schizophrenia or a related disorder and receiving antipsychotic medication and considered relapse prone Interventions: treatment as usual (n=72) vs. treatment as usual +CBT(n=72) (not an acute treatment study; No un‐medicated group)
Gumley 2003b	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with a diagnosis of schizophrenia spectrum disorder and admitted to an acute psychiatric ward with a first or subsequent episode of psychosis Interventions: CBT plus antipsychotic medications vs. medications alone (No un‐medicated group, unclear proportion of first and second episodes)
Gumley 2006	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with schizophrenia or a related disorder and receiving antipsychotic medication, and considered relapse‐prone Interventions: treatment as usual (n=72) vs. CBT (n=72) (not treatment for acute schizophrenia, no un‐medicated group, unclear proportion of early episodes)
Guo 1995	Allocation: unclear method of assignment to treatment Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia Interventions: Clozapine vs. Risperidone (unclear method of assignment to treatment; No un‐medicated group)
Guo 2001a	Allocation: unclear method of assignment to treatment Participants: People with schizophrenia Interventions: Risperidone (unclear method of assignment to treatment; the proportion of first episodes does not exceed 50%; No un‐medicated group)
Guo 2004	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with schizophrenia Interventions: treatment group (modified‐ECT) plus medications vs. control group (without modified‐ECT) plus medications (risperide and clozapine) (unclear proportion of first and second episodes; not a study of medication effectiveness)
Haddock 1999	Allocation: randomised  Participants: people with acute schizophrenia within 5 years of first onset Interventions: short‐term individual CBT vs. supportive counseling/Psychoeducation + standard inpatient hospital care and medication (no un‐medicated group)
Haddock 2000a	Allocation: randomised Participants: people dually diagnosed with recent onset schizophrenia and substance abuse Interventions: combination of cognitive behavior therapy for individuals and cognitive behavioral interventions for family and carergivers, compared to usual treatment (no contrast of medicated versus un‐medicated groups)
Haddock 2000b	Allocation: unclear method of assignment to treatment Participants: people with an ICD10 diagnosis of schizophrenia, schizo‐affective disorder or delusional disorder and have less than five years since onset and with alcohol or drug abuse. Intervention: a family support and cognitive behavioural treatment service (unclear method of assignment to treatment; no contrast of medicated versus un‐medicated groups)
Haddock 2006	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first or second admission (within 2 years of a first admission) Interventions: cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) + treatment as usual, vs. supportive counseling + treatment as usual, vs. treatment as usual (no un‐medicated group (not a medication effectiveness study))
Haldun 2002	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with a history of schizophrenia less than 10 years Interventions: optimal clinical management vs. routine case management (not acute schizophrenia treatment comparison; No un‐medicated group)
Hawkins 2004a	Allocation: randomised Participants: people in the prodromal phase of schizophrenia Interventions: placebo (n= 29) vs. Olanzapine (n=31) (not acute schizophrenia treatment comparison)
Hawkins 2004b	Allocation: randomised Participants: people in the prodromal phase of schizophrenia Interventions: placebo vs. Olanzapine (not treatment for acute schizophrenia)
Herrmann 1991	Allocation: randomised Participant: young healthy males (n=15) Interventions: Maroxepin vs. Chlorpromazine vs. Imipramine vs. Methanesulfonate salt vs. Savoxepine vs. Placebos (not treatment for people with first and second episode schizophrenia)
Herz 1982	Allocation: consecutive Participants: People with schizophrenia Interventions: intermittent vs. continuious antipsychotic medication (not randomised; not an acute schizophrenia treatment comparison; no un‐medicated group)
Herz 1989a	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with schizophrenia Interventions: Stage 1: drug washout for 8 weeks; Stage 2: active medication vs. placebo (no definition of the medications used) (not acute schizophrenia treatment comparison; unclear proportion of first and second episodes)
Herz 1998	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with schizophrenia maintained on antipsychotic medication Interventions: early intervention treatment vs. treatment as usual (not treatment for acute schizophrenia; no un‐medicated group; unclear proportion of early episodes)
Heydebrand 2004	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia Interventions: haloperidol and risperidone (no un‐medicated group)
Himei 2005	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=14) or not receiving drug treatment within the previous 6 months (n=6) or receiving therapy with haloperidol only for more than 5 years (treated group, n=100). Interventions: Risperidone (group A: increasing the dose; group B: decreasing the dose; group C: abruptly to a new regimen) (proportion of early episodes less than 50%; no unmedicatd group)
Hirsch 1986	Allocation:  Randomised (n=45) Participants:  people with schizophrenia Interventions:  Depot Preparations/fluphenazine and placebo (Not an acute treatment study; unclear proportion of early episodes)
Hodgekins 2006a	Allocation: Randomised Participants: People with early psychosis Interventions: Usual treatment plus cognitive treatment versus usual treatment (Combined consecutive referral allocation with random assignment; no un‐medicated group)
Hoffman 2006	Allocation: randomised Participants: people in prodromal status of psychosis Interventions: Olanzapine vs. Placebo (not treatment for acute schizophrenia)
Hogarty 1991	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with schizophrenia (n=103) Interventions: family psychoeducation/management (FT) vs. individual social skills training (SST) vs. the combination of FT and SST vs. medication controls (unclear proportion of first and second episodes; no un‐medicated group; not an acute treatment study)
Honer 2005b	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode psychosis (n=533) Interventions: Haloperidol vs. Risperidone (no un‐medicated group)
Hornung 1995	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with schizophrenia, having at least two acute psychotic episode within 5 years Interventions: psychoeducational medication training (PMT) vs. Cognitive psychotherapy (CP) vs. Key‐person counselling (KC) vs. non‐specific treatment in the control group (consisted of regular leisure‐time group activities: games, excursions, visits to organized functions, etc.) (not early episodes; not acute treatment; no un‐medicated group)
Hu 2003b	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=62) Interventions: Chlorpromazine vs. Risperidone vs. Quetiapine (no un‐medicated group)
Huang 2004c	Allocation: randomised Participants: senile people with first episode schizophrenia Interventions: trilafon+ nimodipine vs. trilafon (only include senile people; no un‐medicated group)
Huang 2006d	Allocation: randomised Participants: adolescents with first episode schizophrenia Interventions: Olanzapine vs. Risperidone (no un‐medicated group)
Ishigooka 2001	Allocation: unclear method of assignment to treatment Participants: people with schizophrenia Interventions: Olanzapine vs. Haloperidol (unclear method of assignment to treatment; unclear proportion of first and second episodes; no un‐medicated group)
Ivarson 1998	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with recent onset of schizophrenic disorders Interventions: integrated treatment (medication + psychosocial interventions) vs. standard treatment (no un‐medicated group)
Jackson 2001a	Allocation: nonrandomised Participants: people with first episode psychosis (n=80) Interventions: Cognitively oriented psychotherapy for early psychosis (COPE). There are three group of comparison: those who were offered and accepted COPE; (2) those who were offered COPE but refused it, and continued to receive other services; and (3) those who were offered neither COPE nor any other continuing treatment (control subjects) (treatment assignment by choice; unclear use of medications)
Jackson 2001b	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia Interventions: recovery intervention (cognitive therapy) vs. treatment‐as‐usual (Not an acute treatment study; no un‐medicated group)
Jackson 2004a	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=66) Interventions: cognitive therapy vs. treatment‐as‐usual (no un‐medicated group; not an acute treatment study)
Jackson 2004b	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=79) Interventions: Cognitively oriented psychotherapy for early psychosis (COPE) vs. no COPE (not an acute treatment study; no un‐medicated group)
Jackson 2005	Allocation: randomised Participants: people in the early phase of schizophrenia (n=62) Interventions: Active Cognitive Therapy for Early Psychosis (ACE) plus medications vs. Befriending plus medications (no un‐medicated group)
Jackson 2006	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode psychosis (n=66) Interventions: cognitive therapy vs. treatment as usual (Not an acute treatment study; no contrast of medicated versus un‐medicated group)
Janicak 1998	Allocation: randomised Participants: People with acute mania (n=33) Interventions: Verapamil versus placebo (Not people with schizophrenia)
Jarboe 2001	Allocation: unclear method of allocation to treatment Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder Interventions: Haloperidol vs. Olanzapine (unclear method of allocation to treatment; no un‐medicated group)
Jasovic 1995	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with schizophrenia and depression Intervention: active drug (moclobemide) vs. placebo (moclobemide free). Both groups also receive antipsychotic medications (dually diagnosed persons (schizophrenia and depression); unclear proportion of first and second episodes; no un‐medicated group)
Jasovic 1998	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with schizophrenia and depression Intervention: Mianserin, Moclobemide, or placebo, as an adjunctive therapy with classical neuroleptic medication (dually diagnosed persons (schizophrenia and depression); unclear proportion of first and second episodes; no un‐medicated group)
Jenner 2004b	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with treatment refractory schizophrenia (n=76) Interventions: Hallucination‐focused Integrative Treatment (HIT) vs. routine treatment (Not an acute treatment study; Unclear proportion of first and second episodes; No un‐medicated group)
Ji 2006	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=82) Interventions: antipsychotic medication + general nursing + system health education intervention vs. antipsychotic medication + general nursing (no un‐medicated group)
Jiang 2006	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=120) Interventions: antipsychotic medications + CBT vs. antipsychotic medications (no un‐medicated group)
Jiang Xinyan 2004	Allocation: randomised Participants: Older adults (over 60 years of age) with first episode schizophrenia (n=62) Interventions: Olanzapine vs. Risperidone (only older adults with schizophrenia; no un‐medicated group)
Johnson 2004b	Allocation: unclear method of allocation to treatment Participants: people in early psychosis Intervention: unclear (Not enough information)
Johnston‐Cronk 1993	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with schizophrenia Interventions: antipsychotic medication plus placebo supplement vs antipsychotic medication and active medication supplement (not an acute treatment study; unclear proportion of early episodes; no un‐medicated group)
Johnstone 1998b	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with schizophrenia (n=814) Interventions: olanzapine (OLZ) vs. haloperidol (HAL) (Unclear proportion of first and second episodes; No un‐medicated group)
Jolley 1989	Allocation: randomised  Participants: people with chronic schizophrenia (n=54) Interventions: intermittent treatment group (n=27, placebo injection) vs. control group (n=27, Fluphenazine injections) (maintenance treatment study (not acute schizophrenia); unclear proportion of early episodes)
Jolley 2003	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first or second episode schizophrenia spectrum disorder and diagnosed within five years (n=21) Interventions: cognitive therapy + treatment as usual vs. treatment as usual (no un‐medicated group)
Jones 1998	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with schizophrenia (n=65) Interventions: Haloperidol vs. Olanzapine vs. Risperidone (not treatment for acute schizophrenia; No un‐medicated group)
Jones 2005b	Allocation: randomised Participants: young people with early psychosis and severe mood disorder (n=100) Interventions: Social Recovery oriented CBT (SRCBT) vs. standard case management (Not a medication treatment study)
Jones 2006	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with schizophrenia and related disorders (n=227) Interventions: first generation antipsychotics vs. second generation antipsychotics (No un‐medicated group, Less than 50% first and second episodes, not an acute treatment study)
Kahn 2003	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorders Interventions: Haloperidol; Olanzapine (Unclear proportion of first and second episodes; No un‐medicated group)
Kahn 2006	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorders or schizophreniform disorders (n=500) Interventions: Amisulpride or Olanzapine or Quetiapine or Ziprasidone vs. low‐dose Haloperidol (No un‐medicated group)
Kane 1982a	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with remitted, first‐episode schizophrenia (n=28) Interventions: Fluphenazine vs. Placebo (not treatment for acute schizophrenia)
Kane 2001b	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with schizophrenia (n=370) Interventions: 25mg, or 50mg or 75mg Risperidone microspheres vs. Placebo (Unclear proportion of first and second episodes)
Kapur 2000b	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first‐episode schizophrenia (n=22) Interventions: 1.0 mg/day haloperidol vs. 2.5 mg/day haloperidol (No un‐medicated group)
Kavanagh 2004	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with early psychosis and current misuse of non‐opioid drugs (n=25) Interventions: Start Over and Survive (SOS) + standard care vs. standard care (No un‐medicated group)
Keefe 2005	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode psychosis Interventions: Olanzapine vs. Quetiapine vs. Risperidone (no un‐medicated group)
Keefe 2006b	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode psychosis Interventions: Olanzapine vs. low dose haloperidol (no un‐medicated group)
Kenny 1992	Allocation: Randomised Participants: people with treatment resistant schizophrenia Interventions: Clozapine (n=24) vs. standard neuroleptics (n=13) (unclear proportion of first and second episodes; no un‐medicated group)
Keri 2006	Allocation: Not a treatment comparison study (one group study) Participants:  People meeting ACE criteria for ultra‐high risk of psychsis Interventions: Risperidone plus psychoeducation an supportive psychotherapy (Not a treatment comparison study (one group study), not acute schizophrenia, no un‐medicated group)
Kern 2001	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with clinically stable schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder Interventions: Aripiprazole versus. Olanzapine (unclear proportion of first and second episodes; no un‐medicated group)
Keshavan 1998	Allocation: Not a treatment comparison study; studies brain morphology over time in first‐episodes treated with conventional antipsychotics or risperidone Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia Interventions: Haloperidol (n=19) or Risperidone (n=16) (not a treatment comparison study, no un‐medicated group)
Keshavan 2003	Allocation: unclear method of assignment to treatment Participants: people with recent onset of psychosis (n=60) Interventions: Psycho Education and Collaboration Enhancement (PEACE) (unclear method of assignment to treatment; not a medication treatment comparison study)
Killackey 2006	Allocation: randomised Participants: young people with early psychosis (n=40)  Interventions: treatment as usual + Individual Placement and Support Model versus treatment as usual (not a medication treatment comparison study)
Kingdon 2000	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first or second episode (unclear number) Interventions: CBT + treatment as usual versus treatment as usual (drug only) (no un‐medicated group)
Kistrup 1991	Allocation: unclear method of assignment to treatment Participants: people with schizophrenia and a duration of illness of 2 or more years Interventions: cis(z)‐ flupenthixol decanoate (n=24) versus Perphenazine decanoate (n=24) (unclear method of assignment to treatment; not treatment for recent onset schizophrenia but maintenance treatment, no un‐medicated group)
Klier 2005	Allocation: randomised Participants: adolescents with “At‐Risk‐Mental‐State” Interventions: fish oil (EPA/DHA) (Omega‐3 fatty acids) + standard care versus standard care (not treatment for recent onset of schizophrenia; no un‐medicated group)
Knapp 2004	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first or second episode schizophrenia Interventions: Early psychosis service versus. Standard service (unclear definition of these two services) (inadequate information on the types of treatments provided)
Kolivakis 2001	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with schizophreniform disorder and early paranoid schizophrenia (n=20) Interventions: Risperidone versus haloperidol, with or without anticonvulsant medications (no un‐medicated group)
Kopala 2003	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with recent onset schizophrenia Interventions: Haloperidol (n=277) versus Risperidone (n=278) (no un‐medicated group)
Kuipers 2004	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with a diagnosis of any functional psychosis Interventions: Croydon Outreach and Assertive Support Team or COAST (optimum atypical medication, and psychological interventions, e.g. individual CBT and family intervention, and a range of vocational and welfare support) vs. treatment as usual (n=27) (unclear proportion of first and second episodes; no un‐medicated group, not an acute treatment study)
Kujawa 2002	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with acute relapse of chronic schizophrenia Interventions: aripiprazole 30 mg (n=861) or haloperidol 10 mg (n=433) (not treatment for recent onset of schizophrenia; no un‐medicated group)
Lambert 1995	Allocation: unknown method of assignment to treatment Participants: people with schizophrenia (n=144) but only 28 first episodes Interventions: Remoxipride versus. Thioridazine (unknown method of assignment to treatment; no un‐medicated group, majority are not early episodes)
Lambert 2006	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with schizophrenia, schizophreniform disorder, or schizoaffective disorder (n=263) Interventions: Olanzapine versus haloperidol (unclear proportion of first and second episodes; no un‐medicated group)
Lane 2001	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=24) Interventions: risperidone 3mg/day versus. risperidone 6mg/day (no un‐medicated group)
Lauriello 2005	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with schizophrenia (n=34) Interventions: Haloperidol versus Quetiapine (unclear proportion of first and second episodes; no un‐medicated group)
Lavalaye 1999	Allocation: randomised Participants: young people with first episode schizophrenia (n=36) Interventions: Olanzapine versus. Risperidone (no un‐medicated group, not a treatment outcome comparison study (but a study of dopamine occupancy))
Leavey 2004	Not an acute early‐episode  medication treatment comparison study, but a study of the response and satisfaction to adjunctive psychosocial treatment among relatives of persons with schizophrenia
Leblanc 2006	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with schizophrenia or related psychosis and in a stable status (no score >=5 at PANSS positive symptom subscale) Interventions: Modafinil versus placebo (not treatment for acute schizophrenia)
Leclerc 2006	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode psychosis (n=19) Interventions: group CBT versus control group (not a medication treatment study, not acute treatment study, unclear use of medications)
Lecomte 2006	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode psychosis (n=129) Interventions: group CBT versus. group skills training focusing on symptom management versus a wait‐list control group (not an acute treatment study, not a medications treatment comparison study, unclear use of medications)
Lecrubier 2003	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with acute or sub‐acute episode of schizophrenia (with a paranoid, disorganized or undifferentiated subtype), excluding first‐episode Interventions: BP4897 (n=52) versus placebos (n=25) (not treatment for early episode schizophrenia (recent onsets excluded))
Lehtinen 1990	Allocation:  Quasi‐random (assigned to treatment available in the catchment area) Participants:  People with first‐episode functional non‐affective psychosis, n=135, 80M, 55W. Interventions: 'Finnish need‐specific treatment' plus usual use of antipsychotic medications,  n=51, vs 'Finnish need‐specific treatment' plus 'minimal neuroleptic regimen', n=84 (Not randomly allocated to treatments)
Lehtinen 2000	Allocation: Subjects were consecutively recruited in three experimental centers and other three control centers separately, but not randomly assigned to treatement Participants: people with first‐episode functional non‐affective psychosis (n=106) Interventions: integrated treatment versus standard treatment (in the former, a minimal neuroleptic regime was applied while in the latter neuroleptics were used according to the usual practice) (No random assignment)
Lei 2006	Allocation: Randomised Participants: Relatives of children with first‐episode schizophrenia (n=60) Interventions: Health education and psychotherapy (focused on relatives of people with schizophrenia)
Lemmer 2001	Allocation: unclear method of assignment to treatment Participants: people with acute paranoid halluzinatory schizophrenia (n=46) Interventions: Zotepine versus Haloperidol (unclear method of assignment to treatment ; unclear proportion of early episodes; no un‐medicated group)
Lencz 2006	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=61) Interventions: Risperidone versus olanzapine (no un‐medicated group)
Lenior 2001	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with early‐onset schizophrenia (n=72) Interventions: standard intervention versus family intervention + standard intervention (no un‐medicated group)
Lenior 2002	Allocation: randomised Participants: young people with early onset schizophrenia and related disorders Interventions: standard intervention versus family intervention + standard intervention (no un‐medicated group)
Lester 2004a	Allocation: unknown method of assignment to treatment Participants: General practitioners (GPs) Interventions: video‐based educational programme for GPs about first episode psychosis (FEP) (Not an early episode acute treatment medication comparison study)
Lester 2004b	Allocation: unknown method of assignment to treatment Participants: People with a developing first episode psychosis and their caregivers and family members Interventions: Primary care training programme for General Practitioners (GPs) regarding the early recognition of psychosis and adherence to guidelines (Not an early episode acute treatment medication comparison study; no people with acute schizophrenia)
Lewis 2000a	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with early schizophrenia with 82% first episode (total n=360) Interventions: routine care + CBT versus routine care + supportive counseling versus routine care only (no un‐medicated group)
Lewis 2000d	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with recent onset schizophrenia and substance use Intervention: psychosocial intervention versus routine treatments (unclear use of medications)
Lewis 2000f	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first or second episode schizophrenia Interventions: CBT (unclear use of medications)
Lewis 2001e	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with psychosis Interventions: monitoring only + routine care versus CBT + routine care (unclear proportion of first and second episodes)
Lewis 2002a	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first or second episode psychosis (n=315) Interventions: CBT + routine care versus 1st control group (supportive counseling + routine care) versus 2nd control group (routine care only) (no un‐medicated group)
Lewis 2006b	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with schizophrenia Interventions: one of the second‐generation antipsychotics (risperidone, olanzapine, quetiapine, amisulpride) versus. Clozapine (n=136) (unclear proportion of first and second episodes; no un‐medicated group)
Lewis 2006c	Allocation: randomised (2 RCTs in this study) Participants: people with schizophrenia Interventions: first RCT: atypical drugs (risperidone, olanzapine, quetiapine and amisulpride) versus conventional drugs (n=227); second RCT: new (non‐clozapine) atypical drugs versus. Clozapine (n=136) (unclear proportion of first and second episodes; no un‐medicated group)
Li 2003f	Allocation: only one treatment group Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=36) Interventions: Quetiapine (no contrast of medicated versus un‐medicated group)
Li 2004a	Allocation: not randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia Interventions: psychological and social intervention + treated with medication (n=50) versus treatment with medication only (n=50) (no random assignment; no un‐medicated group)
Li 2004f	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=86) Interventions: family mental intervention + medicine treatment versus medicine treatment only (no un‐medicated group)
Li 2004h	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with early schizophrenia (n=80) Interventions: Clozapine + nursing care + self care versus Clozapine only (no un‐medicated group)
Li 2005d	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=46) Interventions: Quetiapine versus Risperidone (no un‐medicated group)
Liang 2003a	Allocation: only one treatment group Participants: children with age <14 years and with first episode schizophrenia Intervention: Risperidone (not treatment for adults; no contrast of medicated versus un‐medicated)
Liao Chunping 2004	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=60) Interventions: Risperidone (n= 30) and Clozapine (n= 30) (no un‐medicated group)
Liberman 1988	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with schizophrenia Interventions: low‐dose neuroleptic therapy + highly structured skills training versus. low‐dose neuroleptic therapy + unstructured, goup discussion (unclear proportion of first and second episodes; no un‐medicated group)
Lieberman 2001b	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia and drug naïve (n=164) Interventions: Clozapine versus chlorpromazine (no un‐medicated group)
Lieberman 2003a	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorders Interventions: Haloperidol versus Olanzapine (unclear proportion of first and second episodes; no un‐medicated group)
Lieberman 2003c	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia and drug naïve (n=160) Interventions: Clozapine versus chlorpromazine (no un‐medicated group)
Lieberman 2005b	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=263) Interventions: haloperidol versus olanzapine (no un‐medicated group)
Lieberman 2005c	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=263) Interventions: haloperidol versus olanzapine (no un‐medicated group)
Lin 2006b	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=84) Interventions: Aripiprazole (n=42) versus Chlorpromazine(n=42) (no un‐medicated group)
Lin 2006c	Allocation: consecutively according to admission time Participants: females with first episode schizophrenia (n=60) Interventions: Aripiprazole versus Chlorpromazine (no random assignment; no un‐medicated group)
Linszen 1994	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with recent onset schizophrenia or related disorders post‐hospitaliztion Interventions: individually oriented early (psychosocial) intervention program + family intervention and medications versus individually oriented early (psychosocial) intervention program and medications (not an acute treatment comparison study, no un‐medicated group)
Linszen 2004a	Allocation: randomised  Participants: young people with first episode schizophrenia (n=200) Interventions: outpatient intervention program versus standard outpatient facilities (not an acute treatment comparison study, no un‐medicated group)
Linszen 2006	Allocation: randomised Participants: young people with first episode psychosis (n=183) Interventions: early and sustained intervention (not an acute treatment comparison, no un‐medicated group)
Lis 2003	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with schizophrenia (n=34, a majority with first episodes) Interventions: Haloperidol versus Sertindole (no un‐medicated group)
Liu 2006c	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=60) Interventions: Aripiprazole versus Clozapine (no un‐medicated group)
Liu Lin 2004b	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=112) Interventions: chlorpromazine therapy group ( n= 56) + health education versus chlorpromazine therapy group only ( n= 56) (no un‐medicated group)
Loza 1999	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with acute schizophrenia Interventions: Olanzapine (n=27) versus Chlorpromazine (n=14) (no un‐medicated group; unspecified proportion of first‐episodes)
Loza 2001	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first‐episode paranoid schizophrenia (n=32) Interventions: typical antipsychotics (zuclopenthixol, perphenazine, haloperidol, perazine) versus atypical antipsychotics (risperidone, olanzapine, quetiapine) (no un‐medicated group)
Loza 2002	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first‐episode paranoidschizophrenia (n=39) Interventions: Clozapine versus Olanzapine versus Risperidone (no un‐medicated group)
Lu 2002b	Allocation: not random (case‐control ) Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=19) and healthy controls (n=22) Interventions: Clozapine (no random assignment; no contrast of medicated versus un‐medicated groups with acute psychosis; not a treatment comparison study)
Ma 2000a	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=56) Interventions: Chlorpromazine and Clozapine (no un‐medicated group; not a treatment comparison study)
Ma 2002	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=38) and healthy controls (n=20) Interventions: Chlorpromazine and Clozapine (no contrast of medicated versus un‐medicated group; not a treatment comparison study)
Ma 2004b	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=118) Interventions: Risperidone (n=59) + nursing intervention versus Risperidone (n=59) (no un‐medicated group)
Ma Xiaozhi 2004	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=106) Interventions: medications + individualized quantitative healthy education versus.  medications + random healthy education (no un‐medicated group; not an acute treatment study)
Mackeprang 2001	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with drug‐naïve first episode schizophrenia Interventions: Risperidone versus zuclopenthixol (no un‐medicated group; not a treatment outcome study)
Malla 2000	Allocation: unclear method of assignment to treatment Participants: people with first episode of psychosis Interventions: a community focused early intervention (antipsychotics and adjunct medications, youth education and support, cognitively oriented skills training, case management and group intervention, and family intervention) versus standard treatment (unclear method of assignment to treatment; no un‐medicated group)
Malla 2001	Allocation: not random (matched case‐control study: matched on age, gender, length of illness and length of treatment) Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=38) Interventions: Risperidone versus typical antipsychotics (not randomly assigned to treatment; no un‐medicated group)
Mandelson 2000	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first or second episode schizophrenia Interventions: CBT + medications versus psychoeducational and supportive counseling + medication versus Treatment as usual (no un‐medicated group; unclear proportion of first‐episodes)
Marder 1991	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with stabilized schizophrenia (n=50) Interventions: in the beginning, all subjects randomly received either behavioural skills training or supportive group therapy; then in the prodromal period, subjects were randomly treated with Fluphenazine or placebo (not an acute treatment study; unclear proportion of first‐episodes)
Marder 1994	Allocation: randomised  Participants: people with schizophrenia Interventions: 2mg or 6mg or 10mg or 16mg risperidone versus 20mg haloperidol versus placebo (unclear proportion of first and second episodes)
Marder 1996	Allocation: Randomised Participants: males with schizophrenia undergoing treatment at West Los Angeles Veterans Affair Medical Center (n=80) Interventions: behaviorally oriented social skills training or supportive group therapy (not an acute treatment comparison study, no un‐medicated group, and unclear proportion of first‐epsiodes)
Marques 2001b	Allocation: randomised Participants: women with acute schizophrenia (n=40) Interventions: haloperidol + conjugated estrogens versus haloperidol + placebo (no un‐medicated group; unclear proportion of first‐episodes)
Marquez 2004a	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode, early phase and stabilized chronic schizophrenia Interventions: Olanzapine versus Haloperidol (unclear proportion of first and second episodes; no un‐medicated group)
Martényi 2000	Allocation: unclear method of assignment to treatment Participants: people with schizophrenia Interventions: Olanzapine versus. Fluphenazine (unclear method of assignment to treatment; unclear proportion of first episodes; no un‐medicated group)
McConchie 2004	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode psychosis Interventions: essential fatty acid (EAC) versus placebo (no antipsychotics were included)
McEvoy 2003	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode of schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorders (n=262) Interventions: Olanzapine versus haloperidol (no un‐medicated group)
McEvoy 2006b	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode of schizophrenia and schizophreniform or schizoaffective disorders (n=400) Interventions: Olanzapine (n=133) versus Quetiapine (n=134) versus Risperidone (n=133) (no un‐medicated group)
McEvoy 2006d	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode of schizophrenia and schizophreniform or schizoaffective disorders (n=400) Interventions: Olanzapine versus Quetiapine versus Risperidone (no un‐medicated group)
McEvoy 2006f	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode psychosis (n=251) Interventions: olanzapine versus haloperidol (no un‐medicated group)
McGlashan 1999	Allocation: randomised Participants: people in the prodromal period of psychosis Interventions: Olanzapine versus placebo (not treatment for acute schizophrenia)
McGlashan 2006	Allocation: randomised Participants: people in the pre‐onset phase of the prodromal to schizophrenia (n=60) Interventions: Olanzapine (n=31) versus placebo (n=29) (not treatment for acute schizophrenia)
McGorry 1997a	Allocation: Randomised Participants: Young people aged 16 to 30 years, experiencing a first (non‐affective) psychotic episode, non‐responders (slow) Inteverntions: 2 mg or 4 mg of risperidone or 2 mg of risperidone + Lithium therapy (No un‐medicated group)
McGorry 1997b	Allocation: not random (matched cohorts) Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia Interventions: standard inpatient care versus. intensive community based early intervention (not randomised; no un‐medicated group)
McGorry 2002b	Allocation: randomised Participants: people at incipient risk of progression to first episode schizophrenia (n=59) Interventions: needs based intervention (no antipsychotics but could receive antidepressants if necessary) versus low dose risperidone + cognitive behavioral therapy (not treatment for acute schizophrenia)
McGorry 2002c	Allocation: not random Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=95) Interventions: in Phase I, all subjects received 2mg Risperidone for 4 weeks; in Phase II, fast responders continue 2mg Risperidone while slow responders were randomised to the following 3 groups: 2mg Risperidone; 4mg Risperidone; lithium + 2gm risperidone (not randomly assigned to treatment; no un‐medicated group)
McQuade 2003	Allocation: randomised Participants: people in acute relapse of schizophrenia and requiring hospitalization (n=317) Interventions: Aripiprazole (n=156) versus Olanzapine (n=161) (Unclear proportion of first episodes; no un‐medicated group)
Melle 2006	Not a study of the treatment of early onset schizophrenia but of the early detection of susicde attempts among peole with first episode schizophrenia in areas with and without early detection programs.
Melnyk 1966	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with schizophrenia (n=40) after stabilization Interventions: Chlorpromazine or Thioridazine versus Placebos (unclear proportion of first and second episodes; study of medication withdrawal study not of acute treatment)
Merlo 2000	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode psychosis (n=52) Interventions: Risperidone (2 mg or 4 mg) (no un‐medicated group)
Merlo 2002b	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with acute psychosis and drug naïve (n=49) Interventions: 2mg Risperidone versus 4mg Risperidone (no un‐medicated group)
Merson 1992	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with psychosis (n=100) Interventions: multidiscipline community based intervention (n=48) versus. conventional hospital based psychiatric intervention (n=52) (unclear proportion of first episodes; no un‐medicated group)
Michael 2005	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with affective or nonaffective functional psychosis Interventions: SRCBT (Social Recovery Cognitive Behaviour Therapy) versus. standard case management (not an acute treatment study; unclear proportion of first episodes; no un‐medicated group)
Miller 2004	Not a study of the treatment for acute schizophrenia but a validation study of Structured Interview for Prodromal Syndromes (the SIPS), which is used to identify people in prodromal phase to schizophrenia
Min 2001	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=81) Interventions: systematic early intervention + risperidone versus risperidone alone (no un‐medicated group)
Montero 2005	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with schizophrenia Interventions: Behavioral Family Intervention Group (n=46) versus Relatives Group (n=41) (unclear proportion of first episodes; no contrast of medicated versus. un‐medicated group)
Morken 2005	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with recent onset of schizophrenia (within 2 years) (n=50) Interventions: standard treatment + a multidiscipline team with a low case‐load (patient‐staff ratio about 1:10) versus. standard treatment (no un‐medicated group; not an acute treatment study)
Morrison 2004d	Allocation: randomised Participants: people at high risk to develop a first episode psychosis (n=58) Interventions: cognitive therapy versus treatment as usual (not treatment for acute schizophrenia)
Morrison 2006b	Allocation: randomised Participants: young people at high risk of developing psychosis Interventions: cognitive therapy + monitoring versus monitoring only (not treatment for acute schizophrenia)
Mortimer 2003c	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with recent onset schizophrenia, schizoaffective and schizophreniform disorder Interventions: haloperidol, olanzapine, quetiapine, amisulpride, and ziprasidone (no un‐medicated group)
Mosher 1978	Allocation:  Not randomised Participants: people with DSM‐II Schizophrenia, nor more than one prior hospitalization, ages 16‐35, unmarried, n=79. Interventions: TAU Hospitalization and antipsychotic medications, n=42; and therapeutic milieu with time‐limited postponement (up to 6 weeks) of antipsychotic medications, n=37 (Not randomly assigned to treatment)
Mottaghipour 2000	Allocation: not a treatment comparison study (no assignment to comparative treatments) Participants: families with early onset psychosis (n=34) and families with chronic psychosis (n=39) Interventions: family education (no assignment to comparative treatments; not an acute treatment comparison study)
Mottaghipour 2006	Allocation: randomised Participants: families with first episode psychosis (n=22) Interventions: two models of family education: home based family education versus. family groups at hospital (not an acute treatment comparison study)
Mozes 2006	Allocation: randomised Participants: children with childhood onset schizophrenia (n=25) Interventions: Olanzapine versus risperidone (no un‐medicated group)
Mueller 2005b	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with schizophrenia or major depression Interventions: risperidone + celecoxib vs. riperidone + placebo (no un‐medicated group, unclear proportion of first and second episodes)
Muller 2004	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with recent onset of schizophrenia (n=50) Interventions: Celecoxibplus + Amisulpride versus Amisulpride alone (no un‐medicated group)
Murasaki 1999a	Allocation: unclear method of assignment to treatment Participants: people with schizophrenia (n=53) (13 first episodes and 9 second episodes) Interventions: Unclear (needs translation) (unclear method of assignment to treatment; less than 50% first and second episodes (22/54=41%))
Newton 2005	Allocation:  unclear (wait list control) Participants: young people with recent onset of auditory hallucinations (n=22) Interventions: group CBT plus medications vs. medications alone (no un‐medicated group, not an acute treatment comparison study; unclear proportion of early episodes)
Newton 2006	Allocation: randomised (unclear number of subjects) Participants: young people with recent onset schizophrenia Interventions: Cognitive Remediation Therapy plus standard care versus standard care alone (unclear use of medications; no outcome data reported)
Nienhuis 2006	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with a first onset of non‐affective psychosis (n=131) Interventions: after a stable remission phase of 6 months, individuals were randomly assigned to either maintenance treatment group or targeted treatment group (not an acute treatment comparison (medication withdrawal post‐stabilization))
Nordentoft 2002	Allocation: randomised  Participants: people with first episode psychosis (n=547) Interventions: integrated treatment (assertive community treatment, psychoeducational, multi‐family groups, social skills training and antipsychotic, medication) versus treatment as usual (no un‐medicated group)
Nuechterlein 1992	Allocation: randomised Participants: people indicating stable remission of psychosis after 1 year of maintenance psychotics Interventions: fluphenazine versus placebo (not an acute treatment comparison study)
Nuechterlein 2005	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with recent onset of schizophrenia (n=51)  Interventions: Individual Placement and Support (IPS) + a Workplace Fundamental Module (WFM) versus traditional vocational rehabilitation (not an acute treatment comparision study; unclear use of medications)
Nugter 1997	Allocation: randomised  Participants: people with recent onset of psychosis and their parents Interventions: individual out‐patient treatment versus. a combination of individual out‐patient and family treatment (not an acute treatment comparions study, no un‐medicated group)
O'Donnell 2003b	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with early psychosis Interventions: Vitamin B (Folic acid and Pyridoxine and Hydroxycobalamin) versus placebo (no antipsychotics were used (no contrast of antipsychotic treated versus un‐medicated subjects))
O'Regan 2005	Allocation: randomised  Participants: young people with early psychosis (n=40) Interventions: B‐complex Vitamin B + antipsychotics versus placebo + antipsychotics (no un‐medicated group)
O'Sullivan 2001	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with acute psychosis (n=92) Interventions: Olanzapine (n=46) versus. Ziprasidone (n=46) (unclear proportion of first and second episodes; no un‐medicated group)
Offord 1998	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with schizophrenia (n=47) Interventions: M100907 versus placebo (unclear proportion of first and second episode)
Ohlenschlaeger 2002	Allocation: randomised Participants: People with first episode Schizophrenia Interventions: Standard treatment, integrated OPUSteam ACT or inpatient rehabilitation (no un‐medicated group)
Oosthuizen 2002a	Allocation: subjects were recruited from 2 trials (one is RCT and the other is an open trial) Participants: people with first‐episode schizophrenia or schizophreniform disorder  (n=80) Interventions: low‐dose Risperidone versus low‐dose haloperidol (no un‐medicated group)
Oosthuizen 2004	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophreniform disorder, schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder Interventions: 2 mg/d haloperidol versus. 8 mg/d haloperidol (no un‐medicated group)
Opjordsmoen 2000	Allocation: not randomly assigned to treatment (consecutively) Participants: people with early psychosis (n=134) Interventions: Olanzapine, risperidone, perphenazine, clozapine (not randomly assigned to treatment; no un‐medicated group)
Pagsberg 2004	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first‐episode schizophrenia (n=20) Interventions: Zyclopenthixol (n= 8) versus risperidone (n= 12) (no un‐medicated group)
Pai 1982	Allocation: not randomised Participants: people with first episode of psychosis and no previous treatment Interventions: hospital group versus home group (not randomly assigned; no un‐medicated group)
Painter 2001	Allocation: unclear method of assignment to treatment Participants: people with schizophrenia (n=50) Interventions: a relapse prevention program versus standard outpatient treatment (unclear method of assignment to treatment; unclear proportion of first and second episodes; unclear use of medications, not a comparison of acute treatments)
Pan Miao 2004b	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=120)  Interventions: Quetiapine (n=60) versus Risperidone (n=60) (no un‐medicated group)
Papas 2005	Allocation: randomised Participants: young people with first episode psychosis Interventions: B‐complex Vitamin versus. placebo (unclear use of antipsychotics)
Parellada 2006	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode psychosis (n=50) Interventions: olanzapine (n= 26) or quetiapine (n= 24) (no un‐medicated group)
Parent 1983	Allocation: unclear method of assignment to treatment Participants: people with acute psychosis (n=40) Interventions: Flupenthixol versus haloperidol (unclear method of assignment to treatment; unclear proportion of first and second episodes; no un‐medicated group)
Paulman 1980	Not a treatment study for early onset of schizophrenia, but rather a comparison of two theoretical models used to explain schizophrenia
Perez 2003	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode psychosis (n=44) Interventions: Olanzapine, haloperidol or risperidone (no un‐medicated group)
Perkins 2000	CBT to improve medication adherence in first‐episode psychosis (unclear assignment to treatment, unclear use of medications)
Perkins 2006	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia, schizophreniform, or schizoaffective disorder (n=254) Interventions: Olanzapine versus haloperidol (no un‐medicated group)
Petersen 2005a	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode of schizophrenia spectrum disorder (n=547) Interventions: integrated treatment (assertive community treatment + programmes for family involvement + social skills training) versus. treatment as usual (no un‐medicated group)
Peuskens 1992	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with chronic schizophrenia Interventions: Risperidone (1, 4, 8, 12, 16mg/day) versus haloperidol (10 mg/day) (not treatment for recent onset schizophrenia; no un‐medicated group)
Philips 1999	Allocation: randomised Participants: young people describing state and trait risk factors of psychosis (n=64) Interventions: a combined medical and psychological (specific) approach versus supportive (non‐specific) case management (not acute‐phase schizophrenia subjects; unclear use of medications)
Pietzcker 1993	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with schizophrenia and in stabilized phase (n=79 for the randomization) Interventions: prophylactic early intervention treatment versus. prophylactic maintenance treatment versus neuroleptics crisis intervention (unclear proportion of first and second episodes; not an acute treatment comparison study; no un‐medicated group)
Potkin 2003b	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with acute relapse of schizophrenia (n=404) Interventions: Aripiprazole 20 mg/d (n=101) versus Aripiprazole 30 mg/d (n=101) versus Risperidone 6mg/d (n=99) versus placebo (n=103) (unclear proportion of first and second episode schizophrenia (acute treatment comparision with multi‐episodes))
Power 2002	Allocation: randomised  Participants: people with non‐affective early psychosis Interventions: an assertive outreach multidisciplinary team versus local community mental health team (unclear use of medications; not an acute treatment comparison (follow‐up after acute initial treatment))
Power 2003	Allocation: randomised Participants: young people with first episode psychosis (n=56) Interventions: LifeSPAN Therapy (a brief individual cognitively, oriented therapy) + standard clinical care (n=31) versus standard clinical care (n= 25) (no un‐medicated group; not an acute medication treatment study)
Power 2006	Allocation: randomised Participants: young people with first episode psychosis Interventions: Early Detection and Crisis Assessment team (LEOCAT) versus standard community mental health (unclear use of medications; not an acute medication treatment study)
Poyurovsky 2002b	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=30) Interventions: Olanzapine + Fluoxetine (n= 15) versus Olanzapine + placebo (n=15) (no un‐medicated group)
Poyurovsky 2003b	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=26) Interventions: Olanzapine + reboxetine (n= 13) versus Olanzapine + placebo (n=13) (no un‐medicated group)
Poyurovsky 2004	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode psychosis (n=13) Interventions: Olanzapine + famotidine (n=7) versus Olanzapine + placebo (n=6) (no un‐medicated group)
Proffitt 2004	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode psychosis (n=80) Interventions: Ethyl‐Eicosapentenoic Acid (essential fatty acid supplements) versus placebo (not an acute medication treatment study)
Qian 2002b	Allocation: only one treatment group Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=88) Interventions: Risperidone (not randomly assigned; no un‐medicated group)
Qiu 2005	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=92) Interventions: Clozapine + family circumstance group versus control group (Clozapine + close circumstance in hospital) (no un‐medicated group)
Qu 2005	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with schizophrenia Interventions: chlorpromazine versus risperidal (unclear proportion of first and second episodes; no un‐medicated group)
Rabinowitz 2004	Allocation: Post‐hoc analysis of clinical dosage of risperidone (not randomly assigned) Participants: people with early episode psychosis (n=276) Interventions: risperidone <= 4mg/d versus risperidone <=5 mg/d versus risperidone >5mg/d (not randomly assigned to treatment; no un‐medicated group)
Rabinowitz 2006	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with recent onset psychosis Interventions: Haloperidol (n=278) versus Risperidone (n=281) (no un‐medicated group)
Rasmussen 1998	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode psychosis (n=500) Interventions: Haloperidol versus risperidone (no un‐medicated group)
Reeder 2004	Allocation: Unclear Participants: people with schizophrenia Interventions: individual cognitive remediation therapy (n=18) versus occupational therapy activities (n=14) versus treatment as usual (n=19) (majority multiple‐episodes; unclear allocation of treatment; not an acute treatment comparison study)
Reilly 2006	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with early psychosis Interventions: CBT (unclear control group treatment) (unclear use of medications; unclear whether this is an acute or post‐acute treatment comparison)
Ren 2005c	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=104) Interventions: antipsychotic drug treatment + CBT (n=54) versus antipsychotic drug treatment (n=50) (no un‐medicated group)
Renshaw 2003	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode psychosis (n=263) Interventions: Olanzapine versus haloperidol (no un‐medicated group)
Renton 2004	Allocation: unclear method of assignment to treatment Participants: people with psychosis Interventions: cognitive therapy versus treatment as usual (unclear method of assignment to treatment ; unclear proportion of first and second episodes; no un‐medicated group)
Reveley 2000a	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with early psychosis (n=26) Interventions: Risperidone versus haloperidol (no un‐medicated group)
Rimon 2004	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with acute schizophrenia or chronic schizophrenia with acute symptoms (n=46) Interventions: Olanzapine versus Perphenazine (unclear proportion of first and second episodes; no un‐medicated group)
Robles 2006	Allocation: randomised Participants: young people with first episode psychosis (n=50) Interventions: quetiapine (n=24) or olanzapine (n=26) (no un‐medicated group)
Ropert 1973	Allocation: unclear method of assignment to treatment Participants: people with acute onset of psychosis (n=17) Interventions: fluphenazine versus pipothiazine (unclear method of assignment to treatment ; unclear proportion of first and second episodes; no un‐medicated group)
Rosebush 2000	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia Interventions: olanzapine versus haloperidol (no un‐medicated group)
Rosen 2002	Allocation: randomised Participants: people in late prodromal phase of psychosis (n=8) Interventions: medication versus placebo (not an acute schizophrenia treatment comparison study)
Ruhrmann 2006a	Allocation: randomised Participants: people in imminent prodromal state of psychosis (n=124) Interventions: Amisulpride + a needs focused intervention versus a needs focused intervention (not an acute schizophrenia treatment comparison study;  no un‐medicated group)
Ryu 2006	Allocation: unclear method of assignment to treatment Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia or people with chronic schizophrenia in acute exacerbation (n=71) Interventions: risperidone, olanzapine, quetiatpine, amisulpride, haloperidol and trifluoperazine (unclear method of assignment to treatment; unclear proportion of first and second episodes; no un‐medicated group)
Sanger 1999	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode psychosis (with duration <=5 years and age<=45) Interventions: Olanzapine versus haloperidol (no un‐medicated group)
Sarkar 1994	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=30) Interventions: electroconvulsive therapy + haloperidol versus placebo electroconvulsive therapy plus haloperidol (no un‐medicated group)
Schlogelhofer 2006	Allocation: unclear method of assignment to treatment Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=30) Interventions: Clozapine, Olanzapine, Quetiapine, or Risperidone (unclear method of assignment to treatment; no un‐medicated group)
Schooler 1989	No unmedicatred group (in the acute treatment portion of the study), and not an acute treatment study (in the medication withdrawal phase)
Schooler 2005	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode psychosis (n=555) Interventions: Risperidone versus Haloperidol (no un‐medicated group)
Schulz 1997	Allocation: unclear method of assignment to treatment Participants: young people with early onset schizophrenia (n=40) Interventions: Clozapine versus standard neuroleptics medications (unclear method of assignment to treatment; no un‐medicated group)
Schwannauer 2002	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode of bipolar disorder Interventions: psychosocial intervention versus waiting list control (not treatment for first and second episode schizophrenia; unclear use of medications)
Scottish 1992	Allocation: unclear method of assignment to treatment Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=44) Interventions: Flupenthixol versus Pimozide (unclear method of assignment to treatment; no un‐medicated group)
Sharifi 2006	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode psychosis Interventions: routine practice versus telephone follow‐up aftercare versus home visits by a team of the general trained practitioners, nurses and social workers (unclear use of medications; not an acute treatment comparison study)
Sharma 2000a	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode psychosis (n=35) Interventions: Haloperidol versus Risperidone (no un‐medicated group)
Sharma 2003	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorders (n=263) Interventions: Haloperidol versus Olanzapine (no un‐medicated group)
Sheng 2005	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=62) Interventions: Clozapine (n=31) versus risperidone (n=31) (no un‐medicated group)
Shi Tianyuan 2004	Allocation: unclear method of assignment to treatment Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=60) Interventions: Clozapine versus Risperidone (unclear method of assignment to treatment; no un‐medicated group)
Silverstone 1984b	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia or acute relapse of schizophrenia (n=56)  Interventions: Haloperidol versus Zetidoline (unclear proportion of first and second episodes; no un‐medicated group)
Simonsen 2000	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with non‐affective psychosis (n=281) Interventions: an early detection program versus treatment as usual (unclear proportion of first and second episodes; no un‐medicated group)
Spencer 1992	Allocation: randomised Participants: children with schizophrenia (n=12) Interventions: Haloperidol versus placebo (unclear proportion of first and second episodes)
Srihari 2006	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode psychosis Interventions: STEP program (antipsychotics, multi‐family psycho‐education, group CBT, case management and cognitive remediation) versus usual community care (no un‐medicated group)
SSRG 1987	Allocation: unclear method of assignment to treatment Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=49) Interventions: In the first year : Flupenthixol versus Pimozide; In the second year: active medications versus placebos (unclear method of assignment to treatment; no initial un‐medicated group)
Stain 2006	Allocation: randomised Participants: young people at risk of developing psychotic disorders Interventions: an early intervention (CBT + motivational interviewing) for rural and remote communities (not an acute treatment comparison study (prodromal phase))
Stotsky 1977	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with acute excitement and agitation (n=30) Interventions: Haloperidol versus Thiothixene (not an acute psychosis treatment comparison study; no un‐medicated group)
Strakowski 1997	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode manic or schizophrenic psychosis (n=13) Interventions: amphetamine, placebos (not an acute treatment comparison of antipsychotic medications (amphetamine challenge study))
Strakowski 2005	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=195) Interventions: olanzapine versus haloperidol (no un‐medicated group)
Stuart 2004	Allocation: unclear method of assignment to treatment Participants: people with first episode psychosis Interventions: amisulpride (unclear method of assignment to treatment; no un‐medicated group)
Su 2002b	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=94) Interventions: Chlorpromazine versus Risperidone (no un‐medicated group)
Sun 2000a	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=117) Interventions: Clozapine versus Risperidone (no un‐medicated group)
Sun 2006a	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=117) Interventions: Clozapine versus Risperidone (no un‐medicated group)
Sun 2006e	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=71) Interventions: Chlorpromazine versus Quetiapine (no un‐medicated group)
Suri 2001	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with early  schizophrenia Interventions: CBT plus medications versus medications alone (no un‐medicated group)
Svestka 2003a	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia and schizophreniform disorders (n=42 females) Interventions: Olanzapine versus Risperidone (no un‐medicated group)
Tait 2002	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with schizophrenia spectrum disorders (n=20) Interventions: cognitively oriented intervention (3 stages: initial engagement and formulation; early sings monitoring; targeted cognitive therapy if required) versus treatment as usual (unclear proportion of first and second episodes; unclear use of medications; not an acute treatment comparison study (relapse prevention))
Tait 2005	Allocation: randomised Participants: young people with first episode psychosis Interventions: educational intervention versus alternative educational session on cognitive behavior therapy for depression (control practices) (not an acute treatment comparison study (reduction of DUP))
Tan 2005b	Allocation: randomised Participants: older adults with first episode schizophrenia (n=51) Interventions: Haloperidol versus Risperidone (no un‐medicated group)
Tao 2005a	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=177) Interventions: medications plus CBT versus medications alone (no un‐medicated group)
Tao Yuan Li 2004	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=97) Interventions: antipsychotic medications plus psychological and social interventions versus antipsychotic medications alone (no un‐medicated group)
Tarrier 2000d	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with recent onset  schizophrenia and substance abuse (dual diagnosis) Interventions: psychological intervention (dual diagnosed persons; unclear use of medications)
Thompson 2005	Allocation: unclear method of assignment to treatment Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=39) Interventions: Haloperidol (n=18) versus Olanzapine (n=21) (unclear method of assignment to treatment; no un‐medicated group)
Tian 2005	Allocation: randomised Participants: children with first episode schizophrenia (n=60) Interventions: family nursing intervention plus Risperidone versus routine treatment plus Risperidone (no un‐medicated group)
Toben 1998	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with an acute episode of bipolar disorder (manic or mixed) Interventions: Olanzapine (n=70) versus Placebos (n=69) (unclear proportion of first and second episodes)
Tohen 1997a	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode psychosis (n=82) Interventions: Haloperidol versus Olanzapine (no un‐medicated group)
Tohen 2000b	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with bipolar I disorder and manic or mixed, with or without psychotic features Interventions: Olazanpine versus placebo (unclear proportion of first and second episodes)
Tollefson 1997 HGAJ	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with schizophrenia, schizophreniform, or schizoaffective disorder Interventions: Olanzapine or haloperidol (unclear proportion of first and second episodes; no un‐medicated group)
Tollefson 1997b	Allocation: controlled longitudinal study Participants: people with chronic schizophrenia, schizophreniform disorder, or schizoaffective disorder Interventions: olanzapine (n=707) or haloperidol (n=197) (not randomly assigned to treatment; not an acute treatment comparison study (tardive dyskinesia in long‐term treatment); not first and second episodes; no un‐medicated group)
Tollefson 1997c	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with schizophrenia or related diagnosis (n=1996) Interventions: Olanzapine or haloperidol (unclear proportion of first and second episodes; no un‐medicated group)
Tong 2003	Allocation: only one treatment group Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=30) and recurrent schizophrenia (n=36) Interventions: Risperidone (not randomly assigned to treatment; the proportion of first episodes does not exceed 50%; no un‐medicated group)
Tran 1997a	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with schizophrenia, schizophreniform or schizoaffective disorders Interventions: Olanzapine versus Risperidone (unclear proportion of first and second episodes; no un‐medicated group)
Ueland 2004	Allocation: randomised Participants: adolescents with early onset psychosis Interventions: cognitive remediation (four modules: four modules: cognitive differentiation, attention, memory and social perception) (n=14) versus control group (n=12) (not an acute treatment comparison study; unclear use of medications)
Vaglum 2002	Allocation: unclear method of assignment to treatment Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia Interventions: an early detection program (unclear method of assignment to treatment; unclear use of medications; not an acute treatment comparison study)
Van Bruggen 1999	Allocation: randomised Participants: young people with a relatively short duration of untreated first or second psychosis Interventions: Olanzapine versus Risperidone (no un‐medicated group)
Van Bruggen 2003	Allocation: randomised Participants: young people with recent onset schizophrenia (n=44) Interventions: Olanzapine versus Risperidone (no un‐medicated group)
Van Meijel 2006a	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with stable schizophrenia or related psychosis Interventions: experimental group (Relapse Prevention plans) or control condition (care as usual) (not an acute treatment comparison study; not first and second episodes; unclear use of medications)
Van Meijel 2006b	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode non‐affective psychosis (n=144) Interventions: adapted interventions (cognitive behavioural therapy plus medication management plus vocational support plus family interventions) versus standard generic community services (no un‐medicated group)
Van Nimwegen 2006a	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode psychosis (n=131) Interventions: Olanzapine versus Risperidone (no un‐medicated group)
Van Nimwegen 2006b	Allocation: randomised Participants: young people with recent onset schizophrenia or related disorders (n=131) Interventions: Olanzapine versus Risperidone (no un‐medicated group)
Van Nimwegen 2006c	Allocation: randomised Participants: adolescents with first episode psychosis (n=78) Interventions: Olanzapine versus Risperidone (no un‐medicated group)
Verhaegh 2006	Allocation: not randomly assigned to treatment Participants: young people with first episode psychosis Interventions: assertive community treatment versus care as usual (unclear use of medications; not an acute treatment comparison study; not randomly assigned to treatment)
Vollenweider 2003	Allocation: matched case‐control study Participants: males with first episode schizophrenia (n=15) and controls Interventions: scanned brain activity (not randomly assigned to treatment; not an acute treatment comparison study)
Volterra 1996	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with recent onset schizophrenia (n=40) Interventions: a group or individual one‐year treatment with insight‐oriented therapy plus haloperidol (n= 22) versus drug therapy alone (n=18) (unclear proportion of first and second episodes; no un‐medicated group)
Wang 2000a	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode psychosis (n=100) Interventions: Clozapine versus Risperidone (no un‐medicated group)
Wang 2003a	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=251) Interventions: CBT + regular antipsychotics (Risperidone and Clozapine) versus antipsychotics alone (Risperidone and Clozapine) (no un‐medicated group)
Wang 2003i	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=200) Interventions: Risperidone plus Valproic Acid versus Risperidone alone (no un‐medicated group)
Wang 2004d	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=80) Interventions: Hyberzine plus Quetiapine versus Quetiapine alone (control group) (no un‐medicated group)
Wang 2004k	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first‐episode schizophrenia (n=64) Interventions: Olazepine or risperdal (No un‐medicated group)
Wang 2005c	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first‐episode schizophrenia (n=72) Interventions: Aripiprazole or chlorpromazine (No un‐medicated group)
Wang 2005d	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=96) Interventions: Risperidone or perphenazine (No un‐medicated group)
Wang 2005e	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n= 67) Interventions: Quetiapine or risperidone (No un‐medicated group)
Wang 2005g	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=64)  Interventions: Risperidone and clozapine (No un‐medicated group)
Wang 2005h	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n= 55) Interventions: Risperidone and chlorpromazine (No un‐medicated group)
Wang 2005j	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=60) Interventions: Aripiprazloe and clozapine (No un‐medicated group)
Wang 2005m	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=100) Interventions: Chlorpromazine and risperidone (No un‐medicated group)
Wang 2006b	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=86) Interventions: Chlorpromazine, clozapine, and risperidone (No un‐medicated group)
Wang 2006c	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=117) Interventions: Risperidone, clozapine, and chlorpromazine (No un‐medicated group)
Wang 2006e	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=64) Interventions: Aripiprazole and clozapine (No un‐medicated group)
Wang 2006i	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=60) Interventions: Quetiapine and clozapine (No un‐medicated group)
Wang 2006k	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=61) Interventions: Clozapine and risperidone (No un‐medicated group)
Warrington 2006	Allocation: randomised Participants: Unknown Interventions: 2 mg vs. 20 mg of ziprasidone (No un‐medicated group)
Wei 2006a	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first‐episode schizophrenia (n=58) Interventions: Quetiapine and risperidone (No un‐medicated group)
Wei 2006b	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=101 females) Interventions: Aripiprazole and quetiapine (No un‐medicated group)
Wei 2006c	Allocation: randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=101 females) Interventions: Aripiprazole and quetiapine (No un‐medicated group)
WHO 1979	Allocation: Multi‐site study (no allocation to treatment)
Williams 2005b	Allocation: randomised Participants: Persons aged 14‐35 with early psychosis Interventions: Systematic psychosocial interventions + treatment as usual VS. treatment as usual alone (No un‐medicated group; not an acute treatment comparison study)
Wilson 1982b	Allocation: Randomised Participants: People with schizophrenia (n=39) Interventions: Flutroline (4 dosage groups: 1, 5, 10, and 20 mg) (unclear proportion of first and second episodes; no un‐medicated group)
Wirshing 1992b	Allocation: Randomised Participants: People with schizophrenia (n=81) Interventions: Oral neuroleptic supplementation vs. Placebo supplementation to active medication in both groups (Unclear proportion of first and second episodes; not an acute treatment study (dosage reduction study); no un‐medicated group)
Woggon 1978	Allocation: Randomised Participants: people with schizophrenia (n=40) Interventions: Bromperidol vs. perphenazine (no un‐medicated group; unclear proportion of first and second episodes)
Woods 2002a	Allocation: Randomised Participants: People with schizophrenia, diagnosed as prodromal Interventions: Olanzapine vs. placebo (Pre‐acute treatment comparison study)
Woods 2002b	Allocation: Unknown Participants: people with schizophrenia patients (n=25) Interventions: Glycine (not sure of whether there is a comparison or control group) (unclear method of treatment assignment; pre‐acute treatment comparison study)
Woods 2003	Allocation: Randomised Participants: people with schizophrenia (n=60) Interventions: Olanzapine vs. placebo (Pre‐acute treatment comparison study)
Woods 2004	Allocation: Non random Participants: people with first‐episode schizophrenia with zero duration of untreated psychosis (vs. two historical first episode samples treated after usual DUP) Interventions: Olanzapine (Not randomly assigned to treatment; no un‐medicated group; not an acute treatment study)
Wu 2001a	Allocation: Unknown Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=97) Interventions: Three groups: clozapine and 2 risperdione groups (middle dosage and very low dosage) (unknown method of assignment to treatment; no un‐medicated group)
Wu 2002c	Allocation: Unknown Participants: people with schizophrenia (negative vs. positive subtypes) Interventions: Clozapine (unknown method of assignment to treatment; no un‐medicated group)
Wu 2006	Allocation: Unknown Participants: People with first‐episode schizophrenia Interventions: Aripiprazole vs. haldol (unknown method of assignment to treatment; no un‐medicated group)
Wu 2006a	Allocation: Randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=112) Interventions: Clozapine, olanzapine, risperidone, and sulpiride (no un‐medicated group)
Wunderink 2003	Allocation: Randomised Participants: People with first episode schizophrenia Interventions: short (6 months) vs. sustained (2 years) antipsychotic drug treatment (not an acute treatment study, no un‐medicated group)
Wunderink 2006	Allocation: Randomised Participants: people with remitted first episode schizophrenia (n=131) Interventions: Discontinuation strategy vs. maintenance treatment (not an acute treatment study)
Xie 1998	Allocation: Randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=122) Interventions: Clozapine vs. chlorpromazine (no un‐medicated group)
Xu 2003d	Allocation: Randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=287) Interventions: Recovery psychotherapy vs. control (not an acute treatment study; not a medication treatment comparison study)
Xu 2005b	Allocation: Randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=110) Interventions: Insight education + risperidone vs. risperidone (no un‐medicated group)
Yang 1999c	Allocation: Unknown Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=78) Interventions: Chlorpromazine vs. clozapine (unknown method of assignment to treatment; no un‐medicated group)
Yang 2000b	Allocation: Randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=164) Interventions: chlorpromazine or clozapine Outcomes: Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), Scale for Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS; Chinese version), Global Assessment of Functioning Scale (GAF) (No un‐medicated group)
Yang 2001	Allocation: Unknown Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=124) Interventions: Chlorpromazine or clozapine (unknown method of assignment to treatment; no un‐medicated group)
Yang 2003a	Allocation: Randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=70) Interventions: Olanzapine or risperidone (no un‐medicated group)
Yang 2004b	Allocation: Randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=160) Interventions: Chlorpromazine or clozapine (no un‐medicated group)
Yang 2005c	Allocation: Randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=60) Interventions: quetiapine or risperidone (no un‐medicated group)
Yang 2006b	Allocation: Randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=100) Interventions: Aripirazole or haloperidol (no un‐medicated group)
Yang 2006g	Allocation: Randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=75) Interventions: Ximin or Zyprexa (no un‐medicated group)
Yang Bin 2004	Allocation: Randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=95) Interventions: Clozapine, risperidone, and haloperidol (no un‐medicated group)
Yanos 2004	Allocation: Nonrandomised Participants: homeless participants with severe mental illness (38.8% with schizophrenia or related) Interventions: Referral to Pathways to Housing (not randomly assigned to treatment; unclear proportion of first and second episodes; not an acute treatment study; no medicated group)
Ye 2005a	Allocation: Randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=34) Interventions: Aripiprazole or risperidone (no un‐medicated group)
Ye 2005b	Allocation: Randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=54) Interventions: Clozapine or risperidone (no un‐medicated group)
Yu 2001b	Allocation: Randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=62) Interventions: Risperidone or chlorpromazine (no un‐medicated group)
Yu E Li 2004	Allocation: Randomised Participants: people with first‐episode schizophrenia (n=66) Interventions: Clozapine vs. clozapine + psychological/social intervention (no un‐medicated group)
Zeng 2003	Allocation: Randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=136) Interventions: Clozapine vs. clozapine plus psychological education (no un‐medicated group)
Zeng 2006	Allocation: Randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=116) Interventions: anti‐psychotics vs. anti‐psychotics plus comprehensive intervention (no un‐medicated group)
Zhang 1994a	Allocation: Randomised Participants: males with first episode schizophrenia (n=78) Interventions: Family intervention vs. control group (both medicated) (no un‐medicated group)
Zhang 1998c	Allocation: Randomised, Cross‐sectional 4‐group design Participants: Children with autism and first‐episode schizophrenia Interventions: This is not an intervention study (not an acute treatment study (4 group comparison of lymphocyte levels))
Zhang 1998d	Allocation: Unknown Participants: relatives of people with schizophrenia (682 experimental; 366 control) Interventions: Group psychotherapy + conventional services vs. conventional services for the family members of persons with schizophrenia (not an acute treatment study of people with schizophrenia‐type psychoses)
Zhang 2000f	Allocation: Nonrandomised Participants: women with first episode psychosis (119 pregnancy/parturition; 55 non‐pregnancy/parturition) Interventions: None (not an acute treatment comparison study; no un‐medicated group)
Zhang 2002j	Allocation: Nonrandomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia or schizophrenic form psychosis (n=24) Interventions: Clozapine (not randomly assigned to treatments (a single treatment group study); no un‐medicated group)
Zhang 2003l	Allocation: Randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=250) Interventions: Celexib plus risperidone vs. risperidone (no un‐medicated group)
Zhang 2004a	Allocation: Randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=126) Interventions: Varying doses of risperidone (2, 3, 4, or 5 mg) (no un‐medicated group)
Zhang 2005k	Allocation: Randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=111) Interventions: Parents health education vs. routine services (not an acute treatment study; no contrast of medicated vs. un‐medicated subject groups)
Zhang 2005l	Allocation: Randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=200) Interventions: Artemisinin (an anti‐malarial medication) vs. placebo (adjunctive treatment comparison) (no contrast of a treatment group receiving antipsychotic medication treatment and another group not receiving antipsychotics)
Zhang Fuying 2005	Allocation: Randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=93) Interventions: Nurse home visits vs. none (not an acute treatment study; no contrast of medicated vs. un‐medicated subject groups)
Zhao 2006	Allocation: Randomised Participants: people with first‐episode schizophrenia (n=68) Interventions: Aripiprazole vs. quetiapine (no un‐medicated group)
Zheng 2003c	Allocation: Randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=68) Interventions: Clozapine vs. risperidone (no un‐medicated group)
Zhi 2006	Allocation: Randomised Participants: females with first episode schizophrenia (n=124) Interventions: risperidone vs. self‐efficacy plus risperidone (no un‐medicated group)
Zhou 2005c	Allocation: Randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=118) Interventions: Risperidone vs. clozapine (no un‐medicated group)
Zhu 2001a	Allocation: Nonrandomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia or schizophreniform psychosis (n=28) Interventions: Clozapine (varying dosages) (not randomly assigned to treatment; not a treatment comparison study (one‐group design); no un‐medicated group)
Zhu 2001b	Allocation: Randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=23) Interventions: Risperidone: full vs. half dosage (no un‐medicated group)
Zhu 2002g	Allocation: Randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=90) Interventions: He‐Ne laser intravascular irradiation vs. none (both groups received risperidone) (no un‐medicated group)
Zhu 2002i	Allocation: Randomised Participants: 68 people with first episode schizophrenia (n=68) Interventions: Haloperidol, clozapine, and risperidone (no un‐medicated group)
Zipursky 2004	Allocation: Randomised Participants: people with first episode psychosis (n=25; 80.4% diagnosed with schizophrenia) Interventions: Home intervention for psychosis (HIP) vs. specialized first‐episode psychosis clinic (FEPC) (no un‐medicated group)
Zipursky 2005a	Allocation: Randomised Participants: People with first episode schizophrenia (n=239) Interventions: Olanzapine or haloperidol (no un‐medicated group)
Zipursky 2005b	Allocation: Randomised Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia, schizophreniform disorder, or schizoaffective disorder (n=263) Interventions: Olanzapine or haloperidol (no un‐medicated group)
Zuo 2000	Allocation: Unknown Participants: people with first episode schizophrenia (n=35) Interventions: Risperidone (dosage ranging from 2 to 8 mg a day) (no un‐medicated group)
Zuo 2002	Allocation: Unknown Participants: People with first episode schizophrenia Interventions: Clozapine or risperidone (no un‐medicated group)