These findings provided support for the hypothesis that early functional and vocational recovery plays a pivotal role in preventing the development of chronic negative symptoms and disability. This underlines the need for interventions that specifically address early psychosocial recovery.

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Background:Despite considerable interest and investment in early psychosis services over the past one to two decades, scant attention has been paid to the economic evaluation of such services. A 1-year evaluation of the cost-effectiveness of the Early Psychosis Prevention & Intervention Centre (EPPIC) model in Melbourne, Australia, concluded that EPPIC was a dominant intervention compared with historical care in that it was cheaper and more effective; however, no published studies have evaluated the longer term effects of a model of early intervention in terms of both outcomes and costs. This study aims to examine whether the cost savings and benefi ts associated with EPPIC persist beyond the 1-year timeframe. Methods: The study used a historical control design. A sample of 51 participants who presented to EPPIC in 1993 was individually matched (on age, sex, diagnosis, premorbid adjustment and marital status) with 51 participants admitted to the precursor service (the 'pre-EPPIC' service) between 1989 and 1992. Participants were followed up at 1 year, then again approximately 8 years after inception. A representative subsample of 65 participants was interviewed at 8-year follow-up. Data describing psychiatric service use, medication type, duration and dosage were collected by means of interviews with patients and informants, electronic databases and medical records. Standard economic methods will be used to evaluate the two interventions. Results: The results will compare the costs, benefi ts and incremental cost-effectiveness of the two interventions. Conclusion: This study will help answer whether the EPPIC model of care maintains 'value for money' over a longer period.

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