Background. It has been demonstrated that patients experiencing their first-episode of psychosis have social functioning deficits that are equivalent to those seen in patients with a more chronic course of illness. The purpose of this study is to examine social functioning over the course of the first year after admission to an early psychosis programme.

Method. The social functioning of 177 first-episode subjects was assessed on admission and 1 year later and compared with that of 40 non-psychiatric controls. Assessment measures included the Quality of Life Scale (QLS).

Results. At the 1-year follow-up there was significant improvement in quality of life. However, even those first-episode patients experiencing a remission from positive symptoms had lower QLS scores than the non-psychiatric controls.

Conclusions. These results are encouraging and supportive of early intervention. There is room for more improvement in the application and development of psychological interventions for these young patients.