Episode 74: First Episode Psychosis: A Path for Better Outcomes

Evidence suggests that psychosis may have a similar disease course to other chronic illnesses. Cancer, for example, progresses along a continuum, and we know that if we intervene early we can create optimal outcomes for a cancer diagnosis. More and more we’re seeing this understanding translate into care for psychosis as well. A younger person’s first psychotic episode is a crossroads moment. Depending on the timeliness and quality of help he or she receives, there can be either a positive prognosis or one that’s far more uncertain. Coordinated Specialty Care (CSC), a novel team-based approach to first-episode psychosis, may provide the framework we need to ensure more optimal outcomes for young adults. Colleen Horton, policy director for the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health, and Greg Hansch, public policy director for National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Texas, are working to make sure that CSC is on the Texas policy agenda in 2019. For this episode, we’re learning what is at stake for Texans on this issue, and how CSC is a potential game-changer for young adults, their families, and Texas taxpayers. Related links: Episode 32: Early Intervention in Psychosis http://hogg.utexas.edu/early-intervention-in-psychosis Blog post: We Are Failing Young Adults with Psychosis http://hogg.utexas.edu/we-are-failing-young-adults-with-psychosis A Guide to Understanding Mental Health Systems and Services in Texas http://hogg.utexas.edu/mh-guide Hogg Foundation Policy Priorities http://hogg.utexas.edu/hogg-foundation-policy-priorities-2020-2021