Long-acting injectable antipsychotics (LAIA) may improve adherence to treatment and reduce the rate of relapse and rehospitalization in first-episode or recent-onset schizophrenia (less than 2 years of illness duration). However, the place of LAIA in early phases of schizophrenia is still a controversial clinical issue. For example, negative attitudes toward LAIA in first-episode schizophrenia among psychiatrists are common; the place of LAIA for first-episode psychoses remains uncertain in the current clinical guidelines for the pharmacological treatment of schizophrenia. Moreover, a recent paper published in the New England Journal of Medicine (Rosenheck R et al., March 2011), showing negative results of LAI risperidone on relapse prevention, as well as the availability of the forthcoming second-generation LAIA (olanzapine pamoate, paliperidone palmitate, and aripiprazole depot), will add interest in this clinical debate.

We invite authors to submit original research and review articles that seek to define the place of LAIA in the treatment of first-episode or recent-onset schizophrenia. Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

• LAIA randomized clinical trials or observational studies focusing on efficacy and tolerability in first-episode or recent-onset schizophrenia
• Long-term studies comparing LAIA with oral medication after first-episode psychosis regarding relapse prevention
• Altering disease trajectory: can LAIA improve long-term outcomes by reducing early relapse and loss of function in first-onset patients?
• Psychiatrist attitudes to LAIA in first-episode schizophrenia
• Patient preferences and attitudes to LAIA in early phases of the illness
• Therapeutic alliance and ethics of LAIA in first-episode psychoses
• Role of LAIA in relapse prevention strategies in first-episode schizophrenia
• Nonadherence of LAIA in early phases of the schizophrenia
• Cost-effectiveness studies comparing LAIA with oral antipsychotic treatments in first-episode schizophrenia patients

Before submission authors should carefully read over the journal's Author Guidelines, which are located at http://www.hindawi.com/journals/sprt/guidelines/. Prospective authors should submit an electronic copy of their complete manuscript through the journal Manuscript Tracking System at http://mts.hindawi.com/ according to the following timetable: