Long-term effects of a community intervention for early identification of first-episode psychosis.

OBJECTIVE: To assess whether an Early Case Identification Program (ECIP) for first-episode psychosis (FEP), which showed no significant short-term effects, has a delayed impact on duration of untreated psychosis (DUP).

METHOD: Using a historical control design, FEP patients were assessed on clinical variables over three consecutive phases, 2 years prior, 2 years during and 3 years after implementation of the ECIP. Additional analyses were conducted on non-affective and schizophrenia spectrum psychoses cases only.

RESULTS: There was no overall significant difference in DUP across the three phases. For cases treated within the first year of illness a nonsignificant reduction in DUP to less than 2 months observed during the active phase was sustained post-ECIP.

CONCLUSION: In some jurisdictions community-wide early case detection may fail to have an immediate or delayed effect on DUP, especially for cases who normally present for treatment with DUP >1 year.