Premium
Early detection and intervention programme for psychosis
Author(s) -
Berman I.,
Klegon D.,
Chang H.,
Fiedosewicz H.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
acta psychiatrica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.849
H-Index - 146
eISSN - 1600-0447
pISSN - 0001-690X
DOI - 10.1034/j.1600-0447.106.s413.1_116.x
Subject(s) - psychosis , demographics , intervention (counseling) , psychiatry , medicine , mental health , quality of life (healthcare) , mental illness , population , family medicine , psychology , nursing , demography , environmental health , sociology
We will present the demographics, quality of life, and illness characteristics of a group of patients with new‐onset psychosis, assessed by the Early Detection and Intervention Programme of Psychosis (EDIPP), initiated 1 year ago by the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health (DMH), Southeastern Area. The EDIPP is conducted by the crisis team, which includes clinicians, nurses, and psychiatrists and serves a population of approximately half a million people. Patients diagnosed with new‐onset psychosis (according to preset criteria) are referred for assessments, using the premorbid, quality of life, psychiatric, and cognitive evaluations. Up to 60% of patients cooperated with the follow up visits. A significant number of new‐onset psychotic patients (up to 50%), however, could not be contacted by staff for follow‐up, because during the crisis evaluation were sent to facilities outside the geographical area. Patients who cooperated with the follow‐up appointments had significant support in the community,especially families who understood their illness. The high likelihood of noncompliance in patients with new‐onset psychosis points to the need of integrated programmes that will address education and antistigma efforts in the community and provide sufficient therapeutic support. Such a programme needs to be based on a case‐management system and cannot be successfully accomplished as part of an academic or private endeavour alone outside DMH guidelines.