Aim Traumatic experiences in childhood are pervasive and associated with a range of deleterious mental health outcomes. Despite this, trauma‐exposed young people often do not seek help from mental health services. While barriers to care for general mental health concerns are well established, less is known about those specifically facing young people who have experienced trauma. The present paper sought to examine the barriers in seeking mental health care faced by trauma‐exposed young people through a qualitative analysis of online forums where individuals discuss and seek informal support for trauma. Methods This study used a qualitative, netnographic design, following the six‐step LiLEDDa framework, developed for the analysis of online forums. Posts about trauma written in 2016 from five Internet forums targeting young people were included and analysed via thematic analysis. Results Barriers to mental health care for trauma‐exposed young people were categorized into two interrelated themes: (a) structural and (b) relational barriers. Structural barriers related to practical challenges faced when accessing and engaging with mental health services. Relational barriers focused on interpersonal relationships with mental health service providers and how these influenced experiences of, and consequent engagement with, services. Conclusions Trauma‐exposed young people appear to experience multiple barriers to mental health care, whereby interactions between structural and relational barriers determine ongoing engagement. Service‐wide reform including trauma‐informed mental health training for practitioners is urgently needed to improve access to care and engagement for this vulnerable group.
Antipsychotic medication has been the mainstay of treatment for psychotic illnesses for over 60 years. This has been associated with improvements in positive psychotic symptoms and a reduction in relapse rates. However, there has been little improvement in functional outcomes for people with psychosis. At the same time there is increasing evidence that medications contribute to life shortening metabolic and cardiovascular illnesses. There is also uncertainty as to the role played by antipsychotic medication in brain volume changes. Aim The primary aim of the study is, in a population of young people with first‐episode psychosis, to compare functional outcomes between an antipsychotic dose reduction strategy with evidence‐based intensive recovery treatment (EBIRT) group (DRS+) and an antipsychotic maintenance treatment with EBIRT group (AMTx+) at 24‐months follow‐up. Methods Our single‐blind randomized controlled trial, within a specialist early psychosis treatment setting, will test the whether the DRS+ group leads to better vocational and social recovery than, the AMTx+ group over a 2‐year period in 180 remitted first‐episode psychosis patients. Additionally, we will examine the effect of DRS+ vs AMTx+ on physical health, brain volume and cognitive functioning. This study will also determine whether the group receiving DRS+ will be no worse off in terms of psychotic relapses over 2 years follow‐up. Results This paper presents the protocol, rationale and hypotheses for this study which commenced recruitment in July 2017. Conclusion This study will provide evidence as to whether an antipsychotic dose‐reduction recovery treatment leads to improved functioning and safer outcomes in first‐episode psychosis patients. In addition, it will be the first‐controlled experiment of the effect of exposure to antipsychotic maintenance treatment on brain volume changes in this population.
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