Schizophrenia Daily News Blog

New UK Early Psychosis Treatment Center

While the US moves very slowly to open early treatment facilities for schizophrenia (psychosis), other countries like Canada, Australia and the UK are moving at a rapid pace, with early treatment centers already established in larger cities and counties. What does these countries know that the US doesn't? The research on early schizophrenia diagnosis and treatment is available for all to see, but in the US we seem much more interested in putting the mentally ill into jails, at much higher cost - than investing in education, prevention, early detection and treatment.

This week a new center in the UK has just been opened in Devon County. A new story on the opening stated:

A team of health professionals has been set up in Devon to treat people developing mental health problems.

The team, which will cater for people between the ages of 14 and 35, will provide early treatment in a bid to prevent patients from becoming worse to the extent that they need to be admitted to hospital.

Nurses and psychiatrists will treat people who are developing psychosis - a condition that affects one in a 100 people during their lifetime.

Experts say it is best that psychosis - a term which includes a range of conditions, including schizophrenia - is treated at its onset.

Kevin Dudman, the service co-ordinator, said: "This team is for people experiencing their first episode of psychosis.

"Most people are likely to talk to their GPs if they have a physical problem, but people with mental health problems are reluctant to talk about it.

"The natural thing is for people to keep it to themselves, but what they are doing is damaging their mental health.

"It is much better to treat people earlier so that we can get a young person into doing what they would normally do.

If psychosis stops people from doing the things people of their age would be doing - such as going to college - it is much harder for them to get back into normal life again.

He said: "For some people, the development can be quite quick and for other people, it comes on over a six-month period, which can make it harder to detect."

A phone line has been set up for patients and their relatives to get in touch with the team.

Staff often provide the support - which can last for up to three years - to patients in their own homes.

The eight-person team, based at Honiton but covering the whole of the area around Exeter, consists of nurses, a psychiatrist, a psychologist, an occupational therapist and a social worker.

For more information, see the full list of Worldwide Early Schizophrenia / Psychosis diagnosis and treatment centers.
Source: