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Journey into and through an early detection of psychosis service: the subjective experience of persons at risk of developing psychosis
Author(s) -
Hardy Kate V.,
Dickson Joanne M.,
Morrison Anthony P.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
early intervention in psychiatry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.087
H-Index - 45
eISSN - 1751-7893
pISSN - 1751-7885
DOI - 10.1111/j.1751-7893.2008.00107.x
Subject(s) - psychosis , psychiatry , psychology
Aim: This study aimed to explore how persons who have been assessed as being at risk of developing psychosis make sense of and understand their experiences, using a qualitative approach. Methods: The sample comprised six female and four male participants ( n = 10), ranging in age from 16 to 30 years, with a mean age of 21.8 years. All the participants had entered into a National Health Service Early Detection service in the North of England, which provides interventions for persons assessed as being at a high risk of developing psychosis. Individual semistructured interviews were conducted to study how persons at risk of developing psychosis construct their understanding and perception of their experiences. Results: The analyses identified three central themes: (i) ‘perception of needs’, which highlighted how participants recognized the need to enter services and how they identified what they required from the service; (ii) participants' subjective journey; and (iii) participants' orientation to the future. Conclusions: The journey described by participants assessed as being at risk of developing psychosis provides further insight into how persons make sense of their experiences from a qualitative ‘insider’ perspective. The findings are discussed in relation to the existing literature relating to the early detection and intervention of psychosis and clinical implications are identified.