Dr Jacob Ballon on the Importance of Early Intervention, Comprehensive Treatment in Psychosis

Early intervention is important in many illnesses, including psychosis, so treatment can begin as early as possible for best outcomes, explained Jacob Ballon, MD, MPH, clinical associate professor, psychiatry and behavioral sciences, Stanford University. He also discussed a resource for learning more about early intervention.

Transcript

Why is early recognition and intervention for young people with psychosis so important?

Well, early intervention for psychosis is important because we want to begin treatment at the earliest stage of illness. Just like we would want to begin treatment for cancer at the earliest stage of illness, there’s no reason to want to wait until far longer before somebody begins treatment. We know that the duration of untreated psychosis correlates with treatment outcome, and in the United States in the RAISE-ETP study we saw that the median duration of untreated psychosis was 74 weeks. We need to make that sooner so that people get into treatment earlier and achieve better outcomes.

What are some resources for clinicians seeking to learn more about early intervention in psychosis?

I’m excited to present a new book on intervening early in psychosis that I wrote with my coauthors Dr Hardy, Dr Noordsy, and Dr Adelsheim. The book is available through the APA Press and through Amazon, and it provides a comprehensive look for all members of the treatment team in treating early psychosis. It’s written through using case vignettes and other ways to help people to appreciate all of the different aspects in intervening early in psychosis. There’s been a tremendous increase in early intervention clinics, but many people are wondering exactly what that should look like. This book will help provide a comprehensive look on all of the different factors that one should consider when developing a comprehensive treatment for early psychosis.