The access and waiting-time standard for first-episode psychosis: an opportunity for identification and treatment of psychosis risk states?. (February 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Whale, Richard; Thompson, Andrew; Fraser, Rick
• Is Part Of: BJPsych bulletin. Volume 41:Number 1(2017)
• Page Start: 1
• Page End: 2
• Publication Date: 2017-02
• Subjects: Psychiatry -- Periodicals; Psychiatry -- Great Britain -- Periodicals; 616.8905
• DOI: 10.1192/pb.bp.116.054254
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2056-4694

Abstract

Summary: Expansion of early intervention services to identify and clinically manage at-risk mental state for psychosis has been recently commissioned by NHS England. Although this is a welcome development for preventive psychiatry, further clarity is required on thresholds for definition of such risk states and their ability to predict subsequent outcomes. Intervention studies for these risk states have demonstrated that a variety of interventions, including those with fewer adverse effects than antipsychotic medication, may potentially be effective but they should be interpreted with caution.