Psychosis groups had higher allostatic load than healthy controls
A combined biomarker score was higher in schizophrenia and first-episode psychosis; the major-depression comparison with healthy controls showed no statistically clear difference.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
The pooled analysis found higher allostatic load in people with schizophrenia or first-episode psychosis than in healthy controls. The major-depression comparison was not statistically significant. This score combines biomarkers across body systems. These group comparisons do not show that chronic stress caused psychiatric illness or that the score can guide treatment decisions.
This abstract-based account cannot assess how allostatic load was calculated, participant totals or measurement timing. The reported comparisons do not establish usefulness for individual diagnosis or treatment.
What researchers found
Allostatic load in schizophrenia and first-episode psychosis
The biomarker score was 0.97 standard deviations higher than in healthy controls. This is a standardized score difference, not a percentage or clinical-risk estimate. Measurement timing is not reported.
What was measured
Allostatic load summarizes biological measurements from several body systems. The abstract reports this combined score in relation to psychiatric disorders, without results showing changes in symptoms, recovery or response to care.
Separate control comparisons
The reported analyses compare psychosis and depression groups separately with healthy controls. A statistically significant result in one and a nonsignificant result in the other do not establish a difference between diagnoses.
The original publication
Allostatic load in psychiatry: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Finlay S, Marie R, Rudd D et al.
Stress · 2026
- PubMed ID
- 41723573
- Record checked
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