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- Oct 27, 2016
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Hi all,
I work for a program called the Early Assessment and Support Alliance (EASA) in Oregon and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA). EASA is an early intervention program for chronic psychotic disorders, specifically the onset of schizophrenia and Bipolar I with Psychotic Features. In the last decade, hundreds of similar programs have developed across the U.S. Our aim is to help create one in every county in every state!
There is a broad research consensus that a key determinant of schizophrenia outcomes is reducing the Duration of Untreated Psychosis (DUP). In other words, the sooner the young people experiencing the onset get help, the more likely they are to recover. We now know that schizophrenia in particular is a cognitive degenerative condition that affects sensory integration/gating. Early intervention programs are designed to detect schizophrenia in its initial stages (sudden/insidious onset of blunt affect, cognitive and psychosocial decline, speech clangor) and provide a range of services - from psychiatry to supported education helping young people stay in school - that specifically address these symptoms.
Having worked as a crisis specialist at a local hospital, I know there is a lot of need for services specific to psychosis. Most take referrals from hospitals and are designed to accept regardless of insurance status if diagnostic criteria is met. Here is a national map of early intervention programs in the U.S. and the NAMI resource page on early psychosis. For people with questions as to psychosis causes and early onset symptoms, this booklet is a great start. Please feel free to shoot me a message if any other resources would be helpful.
I work for a program called the Early Assessment and Support Alliance (EASA) in Oregon and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA). EASA is an early intervention program for chronic psychotic disorders, specifically the onset of schizophrenia and Bipolar I with Psychotic Features. In the last decade, hundreds of similar programs have developed across the U.S. Our aim is to help create one in every county in every state!
There is a broad research consensus that a key determinant of schizophrenia outcomes is reducing the Duration of Untreated Psychosis (DUP). In other words, the sooner the young people experiencing the onset get help, the more likely they are to recover. We now know that schizophrenia in particular is a cognitive degenerative condition that affects sensory integration/gating. Early intervention programs are designed to detect schizophrenia in its initial stages (sudden/insidious onset of blunt affect, cognitive and psychosocial decline, speech clangor) and provide a range of services - from psychiatry to supported education helping young people stay in school - that specifically address these symptoms.
Having worked as a crisis specialist at a local hospital, I know there is a lot of need for services specific to psychosis. Most take referrals from hospitals and are designed to accept regardless of insurance status if diagnostic criteria is met. Here is a national map of early intervention programs in the U.S. and the NAMI resource page on early psychosis. For people with questions as to psychosis causes and early onset symptoms, this booklet is a great start. Please feel free to shoot me a message if any other resources would be helpful.
