WEDNESDAY, 21 JUNE, 2023

Photograph attached: Team leader Donna Petrie, consultant psychiatrist Dr Lori-An Etherington, community mental health nurse Stefanie Hunt, mental health charge nurse Helen Kydd and clinical psychologist Dr Annita Tasker

New early intervention service to improve recovery for people with psychosis

A new service has been launched for people in Dundee experiencing the early stages of psychosis.

CONNECT aims to provide a range of early interventions for people aged between 16 and 35 years old who are experiencing their first episode of psychosis. The team of mental health nurses, clinical psychologists, psychiatrists, peer support workers and healthcare support workers will offer specialist assessment, care and therapeutic input to help improve individuals’ long-term recovery prospects.

Psychosis is an umbrella term for a wide range of experiences which can change your emotions, perceptions, thoughts and behaviours. This can include hallucinations, delusions, confused thinking, strange behaviour, unusual speech or inappropriate emotional reactions.

Team leader Donna Petrie said, “Psychosis is a condition that can be very distressing for those who experience it. However, there is a wealth of research and evidence which highlights that early intervention can lead to better outcomes, reducing the likelihood of hospitalisation and helping individuals maintain their independence and life goals.

“The earlier psychosis is detected and specialist support and treatment provided, the better the recovery outcomes, and that is why it is important to provide this unique service to offer care and support at the critical early stages of the condition.

“Our key message is that psychosis is treatable and recovery is expected so anyone who believes they may be experiencing a first episode of psychosis should contact their GP to be referred to our service.”

The CONNECT service will work with people to help them improve their mental health, develop self-management skills, access education, work and leisure, build positive relationships, and access robust assessment and treatment including psychological therapy, family interventions and psychiatric assessment.

Approximately 1,600 people in Scotland experience a first episode of psychosis each year. It usually develops in younger adults and teenagers and is more common in males. Long-term untreated psychosis can lead to poorer social and economic outcomes, reduced opportunities for employment, poorer physical and mental health, reduced life expectancy and increased risk of using substances.

Early intervention services can provide a number of benefits such as reduced hospital admissions, suicide rates, treatment waiting times and severity of symptoms, as well as improved physical and emotional wellbeing, and improvements in patients’ social, vocational and personal lives.

Contact:

Louise Wilson

NHS Tayside Communications

(01382) 740718