Early psychosis treatments 30 years on: Early intervention for a new generation

Abstract

The Early Psychosis Prevention and Intervention Centre model has significantly shaped early intervention strategies for psychotic disorders, setting a benchmark for effective care and influencing practices globally. The model’s effectiveness has been demonstrated through various trials and systematic reviews, highlighting its benefits in symptomatic relief, functional improvement and reduced hospitalisation. This paper explores and proposes advancements to the current model of care for early psychosis, incorporating recent developments and emerging evidence in the field. We highlight several areas to further enhance the Early Psychosis Prevention and Intervention Centre model. This includes highlighting the importance of interventions to reduce duration of untreated psychosis, maximising pharmacological and cognitive interventions, incorporating digital technologies for real-time feedback and personalised care, and access to physical health interventions to prevent unwanted long-term physical outcomes. In addition, the growing role of trauma-informed care, and more recently, peer support, as well as approaches and interventions for culturally diverse and high-risk populations, underscores the need for more inclusive and tailored interventions. Future directions also need to concentrate especially on the long-term outcome, which are less favourable and equity of access to high-quality services. The development of national and international collaborative research platforms, including Australia’s new clinical quality registry and clinical trials network, also represents a significant step forward in generating robust evidence and refining care models. We suggest that to further progress the early psychosis field a personalised, data-informed approach is needed and that we find ways to harness technological innovations and collaborative networks to enhance care and subsequent treatment outcomes.