10/1/2020 Grand Rounds

Hannah Brown, MD
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
Director, Wellness and Recovery After Psychosis Program, Boston Medical Center

In the US approximately 100,000 young adults experience a first-episode of psychosis each year. Untreated psychosis is associated with devastating outcomes, and early treatment intervention is focused on minimizing the duration of untreated psychosis (DUP). The coordinated specialty care (CSC) model of intervention has demonstrated better functional and symptomatic improvements compared to treatment as usual. Broad access to “first episode” CSC programs is imperative in order to minimize the DUP and improve longitudinal outcomes. However, pathways to care for such programs are not streamlined, and there are high rates of disengagement in care. This presentation will provide an overview of first episode psychosis treatment, present demographic data and case examples to explore barriers to engagement in care, and suggest ways to improve clinical outcomes.

Learning Objectives:

1. Identify risk factors for developing psychosis

2. Discuss the components of the coordinated specialty care model for first episode care

3. Describe risks associated with prolonged duration of untreated psychosis