Medscape (7/1, Davenport, Subscription Publication) reports, “Community-based services that tap into local environments not only reduce the duration of untreated psychosis (DUP) but also provide improved long-term outcomes for patients with first-episode psychosis (FEP),” investigators concluded in two studies. In one study, researchers “developed a program to reduce DUP to complement their first-episode service,” finding that they were “able to nearly halve the time from diagnosis to initiation of antipsychotic treatment.” The second study, which included more than 400 patients with FEP, found that early intervention services “significantly improved both symptoms and quality of life and reduced inpatient days in comparison with standard care.” The findings of both studies were scheduled for presentation “at the Congress of the Schizophrenia International Research Society…2020, but the meeting was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.”
Related Links:
— “Community Programs Improve Psychosis Outcomes, “Liam Davenport, Medscape, July 1, 2020