Promoting Physical Health In Youth Mental Health Services: Ensuring Routine Monitoring of Weight and Metabolic Indices in a First Episode Psychosis Clinic

2010 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 451-455 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Hetrick ◽  
Mario Álvarez-Jiménez ◽  
Alexandra Parker ◽  
Frank Hughes ◽  
Michaela Willet ◽  
...  
BJPsych Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (S1) ◽  
pp. S112-S112
Author(s):  
Adam Whyte ◽  
Alastair Reid

AimsCOVID-19 has a demonstratable impact on the population's mental health and is associated with an increased incidence of psychiatric disorders, including patients experiencing psychotic presentations. The aim of this study was to explore whether referral rates within a county-wide Early Intervention (EI) service changed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The EI service provides NICE approved treatments and support for patients experiencing a First Episode Psychosis (FEP).MethodData were collected from all referrals to the EI service between March–December 2019 and March–December 2020. Clinical notes were reviewed to ascertain whether the referred patient was assessed and if they were subsequently accepted on to the team's caseload.ResultDuring the March–December 2019 period 147 referrals were made to the EI service, with 66 patients being accepted for treatment by the service (44.9% of referrals). In March–December 2020, 127 referrals were made, a 13.6% reduction compared to the same period in 2019, however 70 referrals were accepted (55.1% of referrals).Whilst the overall referrals declined during the COVID-19 period, there were notable increases in both April and August 2020, by 25.0% and 70.0% respectively.ConclusionAlthough overall referrals to the EI service reduced during the COVID-19 pandemic compared similarly to the previous year, there was a noteworthy increase in the proportion of patients accepted onto the team's caseload.Potential explanations for this finding include the possibility of an increased incidence of first episode psychosis during this period, or that restrictions in accessing primary care and secondary mental health services during the COVID-19 pandemic reduced the number of patients being referred whose symptoms were not representative of First Episode Psychosis (FEP).This study highlights that mental health services, such as EI teams, have experienced a persistent level of need over the past year and that ongoing investment in psychiatric services is warranted to meet this sustained requirement for support and interventions.


2007 ◽  
Vol 191 (S51) ◽  
pp. s133-s139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paddy Power ◽  
Eduardo Iacoponi ◽  
Nicola Reynolds ◽  
Helen Fisher ◽  
Morris Russell ◽  
...  

BackgroundThere are few evaluations of strategies to improve rates of early detection and treatment of patients with first-episode psychosisAimsTo evaluate the effectiveness of a general practitioner (GP) education programme and an early detection assessment team (the Lambeth Early Onset Crisis Assessment Team; LEO CAT) in reducing delays in accessing treatment for first-episode psychosis patients.Method46 clusters of GP practices randomised to GP education in early detection with direct access to LEO CATv. care as usual. Primary outcome measures were GP referral rates, duration of untreated psychosis (DUP) and delays in receiving treatment. Results 150 patients with first-episode psychosis were recruited; 113 were registered with the study GPs, who referred 54 (47.7%) directly to mental health services. Significantly more intervention group GPs (86.1% v. 65.7%) referred their patients directly to mental health services and fewer patients experienced long delays in receiving treatment. However, their overall DUP was unaffectedConclusionsEducating GPs improves detection and referral rates of first-episode psychosis patients. An early detection team reduces the long delays in initial assessment and treatment. However, these only impact on the later phases of the DUP. Broader measures, such as public health education, are needed to reduce the earlier delays in DUP.


2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. S160-S160
Author(s):  
E. Miglietta ◽  
A. Lasalvia ◽  
C. Comacchio ◽  
D. Cristofalo ◽  
C. Bonetto ◽  
...  

IntroductionInternational treatment guidelines recommend that key elements to reduce the burden of psychosis are the early identification of people and the adoption of specific evidence based interventions.ObjectivesTo investigate the pathway to care and patterns of interventions provided by community based-mental health services (CMHS) to a cohort of first-episode psychosis (FEP) patients over 5-years period, exploring in which degree guidelines are met in routine clinical practice.MethodsStudy conducted in the context of the Psychosis Incident Cohort Outcome Study (PICOS), a multisite naturalistic research conducted in the Veneto Region (Italy) on FEP patients in a 4.6 million inhabitants catchment area. A comprehensive set of standardized measures was used, including ad hoc schedules to collect information on referrals to psychiatric services and on pharmacological and psycho-social treatments according to a multiwave follow-up design (1-, 2- and 5 years).ResultsThree hundred and ninety-seven FEP patients were assessed at BL, 286 at 1 year, 233 at 2 years and 205 at 5 years. 47.4% of patients were helped to seek care by a relative and more than one half entered the treatment route through an emergency access. Regarding the interventions received, 96% of patients had been prescribed neuroleptics and atypical were the most prescribed class (66.9%). Only half received a psychosocial intervention during the first year and this percentage progressively decreased at each FU.DiscussionFindings highlight discrepancies between interventions provided by CMHS and the best treatment options recommended by guidelines, suggesting the need to implement specific initiatives aiming to close the gap between research and clinical practice.


Author(s):  
Ilaria Tarricone ◽  
Giuseppe D’Andrea ◽  
Viviana Storbini ◽  
Mauro Braca ◽  
Silvia Ferrari ◽  
...  

AbstractBackground: Migrants present high rates of psychosis. A better understanding of this phenomenon is needed. Methods: We conducted a multicentre First-Episode Psychosis (FEP) prospective study over two years (January 2012–December 2013) to evaluate first-generation migrants presenting with FEP at the participating Community Mental Health Centers (CMHCs). Results: 109 FEP migrants were identified. Almost half of them were highly educated, employed and in a stable affective relationship. The average age was 32.8 (± 9.8) years, and the average length of stay in Italy was 8.6 (± 8.8) years. About 2/3 of patients were referred to CMHCs following Emergency Department access or psychiatric admission. Conclusions: Our finding of a “high functioning portrait” of FEP migrants allow us to hypothesize that a high burden of negative psychosocial factors is likely to be needed for the FEP onset. Furtherly, mental health services should implement more appropriate resources and organizational methods to respond to migrants’ health needs.


2014 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilaria Tarricone ◽  
Mauro Braca ◽  
Fabio Allegri ◽  
Giuseppe Barrasso ◽  
Antonello Bellomo ◽  
...  

BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. e035379
Author(s):  
Cathrin Rohleder ◽  
Yun Ju Christine Song ◽  
Jacob J Crouse ◽  
Tracey A Davenport ◽  
Frank Iorfino ◽  
...  

IntroductionMental disorders are a leading cause of long-term disability worldwide. Much of the burden of mental ill-health is mediated by early onset, comorbidities with physical health conditions and chronicity of the illnesses. This study aims to track the early period of mental disorders among young people presenting to Australian mental health services to facilitate more streamlined transdiagnostic processes, highly personalised and measurement-based care, secondary prevention and enhanced long-term outcomes.Methods and analysisRecruitment to this large-scale, multisite, prospective, transdiagnostic, longitudinal clinical cohort study (‘Youth Mental Health Tracker’) will be offered to all young people between the ages of 12 and 30 years presenting to participating services with proficiency in English and no history of intellectual disability. Young people will be tracked over 3 years with standardised assessments at baseline and 3, 6, 12, 24 and 36 months. Assessments will include self-report and clinician-administered measures, covering five key domains including: (1) social and occupational function; (2) self-harm, suicidal thoughts and behaviour; (3) alcohol or other substance misuse; (4) physical health; and (5) illness type, clinical stage and trajectory. Data collection will be facilitated by the use of health information technology. The data will be used to: (1) determine prospectively the course of multidimensional functional outcomes, based on the differential impact of demographics, medication, psychological interventions and other key potentially modifiable moderator variables and (2) map pathophysiological mechanisms and clinical illness trajectories to determine transition rates of young people to more severe illness forms.Ethics and disseminationThe study has been reviewed and approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee of the Sydney Local Health District (2019/ETH00469). All data will be non-identifiable, and research findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journals and scientific conference presentations.


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