Centre for Youth Mental Health - Research Publications
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ItemNo Preview Available[Early Intervention for Psychosis from Past to Future: Overcoming Implementation Challenges to Maximize its Impact?].(Consortium Erudit, 2021)Objectives The emergence of early intervention for first episode psychosis (FEP) in the 1990s represents a major advance in mental health. It was demonstrated that by providing intensive interventions tailored to the specific needs of youth at the onset of FEP, it became possible to sustainably improve their subsequent course. This model of early intervention for psychosis (EIP) is accompanied by a major revision of conceptions of psychotic disorders and a major change in philosophy of care. The purpose of this article is to provide a historical perspective on the development of EIP, to discuss the challenges associated with its implementation, and to offer possible solutions. Methods Experts consensus identifying the most salient challenges in implementing Early intervention for psychosis, and proposing the most feasible solutions, based on their assessment of the literature to address them. Results To optimize the implementation and efficiency of EIP programs, 7 avenues were identified: 1) Better targeting of hard-to-reach populations and systematizing the admission of all FEP patients in EIP programs. 2) Reducing the duration of untreated psychosis should be a major goal of EIP programs, requiring early detection efforts through public awareness, training of front-line professionals, and improving treatment access processes and delays. 3) Measures to maintain patient engagement in a follow-up should be implemented systematically. 4) Family involvement should be more actively supported by teams throughout follow-up, including strategies to promote patient acceptance of their involvement. 5) Future research will provide a better understanding of how to modulate the duration and intensity of EIP follow-up according to patient profiles, in particular in order to maintain the results achieved during PPEP over the longer term. 6) The modalities for managing at-risk mental states remain to be clarified, both in terms of the approaches to be offered to them and the health care structure that would be most appropriate to accommodate them. 7) The implementation of EIP programs must be continued, particularly in the French-speaking world, which is at very different stages from one country to another and even within each country. Conclusion EIP improve the outcomes of youth with FEP in terms of recovery, mortality and suicide. Solutions to challenges encountered in their widespread implementation must be operationalized to ensure that this care is accessible to the greatest number of people in a timely manner to maximize its impact at the population level.
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ItemNo Preview AvailableTransdiagnostic clinical staging in youth mental health: a first international consensus statement(WILEY, 2020-06-01)Recognizing that current frameworks for classification and treatment in psychiatry are inadequate, particularly for use in young people and early intervention services, transdiagnostic clinical staging models have gained prominence. These models aim to identify where individuals lie along a continuum of illness, to improve treatment selection and to better understand patterns of illness continuity, discontinuity and aetiopathogenesis. All of these factors are particularly relevant to help‐seeking and mental health needs experienced during the peak age range of onset, namely the adolescent and young adult developmental periods (i.e., ages 12‐25 years). To date, progressive stages in transdiagnostic models have typically been defined by traditional symptom sets that distinguish “sub‐threshold” from “threshold‐level” disorders, even though both require clinical assessment and potential interventions. Here, we argue that staging models must go beyond illness progression to capture additional dimensions of illness extension as evidenced by emergence of mental or physical comorbidity/complexity or a marked change in a linked biological construct. To develop further consensus in this nascent field, we articulate principles and assumptions underpinning transdiagnostic clinical staging in youth mental health, how these models can be operationalized, and the implications of these arguments for research and development of new service systems. We then propose an agenda for the coming decade, including knowledge gaps, the need for multi‐stakeholder input, and a collaborative international process for advancing both science and implementation.
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ItemA protocol for the first episode psychosis outcome study (FEPOS): ≥15 year follow-up after treatment at the Early Psychosis Prevention and Intervention Centre, Melbourne, Australia(WILEY, 2022-07)BACKGROUND: Specialist early intervention (SEI) service models are designed to treat symptoms, promote social and vocational recovery, prevent relapse, and resource and up-skill patients and their families. The benefits of SEI over the first few years have been demonstrated. While early recovery can be expected to translate to better long-term outcomes by analogy with other illnesses, there is limited evidence to support this from follow-up studies. The current study involves the long-term follow-up of a sub-set of first episode psychosis (FEP) patients, with a range of diagnoses, who were first treated at Orygen's Early Psychosis Prevention and Intervention Centre (EPPIC) between 1998 and 2000. The aim of this paper is to present the methodology for this follow-up study. METHODS: Between January 1998 and December 2000, 786 patients between the ages of 15-29 years were treated at EPPIC, located in Melbourne, Australia. Our cohort consists of 661 people (82 were transferred/discharged and 43 were not diagnosed with a psychotic disorder at time of discharge). The 18-month treatment characteristics of this cohort have been extensively examined in the First Episode Psychosis Outcome Study (FEPOS). The ≥15 year outcomes of this cohort are being examined in this study, known as FEPOS15. RESULTS: Participant follow-up is ongoing. In order to extend and assess broader outcomes of the cohort, data linkage with health-related databases will be conducted. CONCLUSION: This study will provide a comprehensive evaluation of the long-term trajectory of psychotic disorders after treatment for FEP in a SEI service.
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ItemNot in education, employment and training status in the early stages of bipolar I disorder with psychotic features(WILEY, 2022-06)OBJECTIVE: There is a lack of existing research regarding young people with bipolar I disorder (BD-I) and psychotic features, who are not in education, employment, and training (NEET). Thus, the aims of the study were to: (a) establish rates of NEET at service entry to a specialist early intervention service; (b) delineate premorbid and current variables associated with NEET status at service entry and (c) examine correlates of NEET status at discharge. METHOD: Medical file audit methodology was utilized to collect information on 118 patients with first episode psychotic mania treated at the Early Psychosis Prevention and Intervention Centre (EPPIC), Melbourne, Australia. NEET status was determined using the modified vocation status index (MVCI). Bivariate and multivariable logistic variables were used to examine relationships between premorbid, service entry and treatment variables, and NEET status at service entry and discharge. RESULTS: The NEET rate was 33.9% at service entry, and 39.2% at discharge. Variables associated with NEET status at service entry were premorbid functioning and polysubstance use. NEET status at service entry was the only significant correlate of NEET status at discharge. When service entry NEET was taken out of the model, substance use during treatment was predictive of NEET status at discharge. CONCLUSIONS: NEET status at service entry was related to a history of premorbid decline, and risk factors such as substance use and forensic issues. NEET status can decline during treatment, and utility of vocational intervention programs specifically for BD, in addition to specialist early intervention, needs to be examined.