Promoting early detection of psychosis: the role of community outreach

Abstract

Purpose-The purpose of this paper is to determine the effectiveness of community outreach efforts in promoting public education on the early warning signs of psychosis and in generating referrals for treatment during the prodromal stage of illness. Design/methodology/approach-Five mental health centres across the United States implemented a community outreach model known as the Early Detection and Intervention for the Prevention of Psychosis Program (EDIPPP). A multi-site evaluation was conducted to assess whether the model's outreach objectives could be achieved among replication sites in geographically and demographically diverse locations. The assessment included the analysis of data from three main sources: administrative data, structured qualitative interviews, and participant self-report surveys. Findings-Results demonstrated that the outreach activities in all five sites resulted in increased awareness of participants about the early warning signs of psychosis, the availability of local treatment options and increased knowledge of the referral process. There were benefits of outreach participation regardless of whether the participant was a professional or non-professional in the community. Additionally, outreach participants showed a significant increase in their likelihood to refer a young adult for a mental health evaluation. Originality/value-Community outreach can be an effective tool for mental health centres in developing a local network that can generate timely referrals for early intervention programmes and clinical research. Results also show that relatively brief community engagement efforts can significantly increase the knowledge and awareness of the public on complex mental health conditions where early detection may be integral to effective treatment.

Early Detection, Intervention and Prevention of Psychosis Program: Community Outreach and Early Identification at Six U.S. Sites

“…EDIPPP referrals increased as outreach increased. As noted in a previous report, outreach audience size in one month significantly predicted referral counts in the following month (25). In the later stage, the volume of referrals was maintained, although outreach decreased (Figure 2).…”

“…An evaluation, largely conducted by evaluators at the University of Southern Maine's Muskie School of Public Service, generated quantitative data, evaluated training, and generated site-specific reports and annual evaluation reports at the end of two years for five of six EDIPPP sites (24,25). New Mexico's EARLY site was excluded from the quantitative evaluation because the program joined the study late, but the site participated in qualitative elements.…”

Reduction in Incidence of Hospitalizations for Psychotic Episodes Through Early Identification and Intervention

“…These functions have been described previously 20,22 To summarize, a key strategy in this community-wide effort was widespread education outside , as well as within, the mental health system. PIER team staff educated over 7200 physicians, school and college counselors, community mental health practitioners, community agency staff and others who had ongoing contact with potentially at-risk youth and young adults, as well as their parents.…”

Sensory characteristics of youth at clinical high risk for psychosis

“…Outreach focused on teaching the early warning signs of psychosis and how to make a referral to the local EDIPPP site (Lynch, McFarlane, Joly, et al, 2016;McFarlane, Cook, Downing, et al, 2012;Ruff, McFarlane, Downing, Cook, & Woodberry, 2012). Analysis of the outcomes of these outreach activities showed that they were effective in generating appropriate referrals and that the volume of outreach activities was associated with number of referrals (Joly, Bernard, Williamson, & Mittal, 2012;Lynch et al, 2016).…”