ITAlian partnership for psychosis prevention (ITAPP): Improving the mental health of young people

Factorial structure of the Comprehensive Assessment of At-Risk Mental States in help-seeking individuals: mapping the structure and the prediction of subsequent transition to psychosis

Objectives

The aim of the current study was 3-fold: 1) to examine the factorial structure of the Comprehensive Assessment of At-Risk Mental States (CAARMS) in help-seeking individuals undergoing an assessment on suspicion of psychosis risk; 2) to investigate the association of CAARMS factors with functioning; 3) and to test the association of any derived factors with the longitudinal outcome of transition to psychosis.

Methods

The study included 101 patients. First, a principal component analysis (PCA) was conducted using the Varimax rotation method. A minimum initial eigenvalues of greater than or equal to 1.0, analysis of Scree plots, percentage of variance explained by each component, reliability (Cronbach's alpha) of factors above 0.7 and Parallel Analysis were the criteria used to determine the appropriate number of factors Second, Spearman correlations were run to analyze the relationship between CAARMS factors and sociodemographic and functional variables (i.e. age, schooling, Social and Occupational Functioning Assessment Scale-SOFAS- and Health of the Nation Outcome Scales-HoNOS- scores). Third, we performed a Logistic regression analysis to evaluate the association between baseline CAARMS factors and the risk of transition to psychosis at the 6-month follow-up.

Results

A total of 101 consecutive patiens were recruited. We found that: 1) a 6 factor model solution as the most appropriate, jointly accounting for 65% of the variance; 2) factors 1 ("negative-interpersonal"), 2 ("cognitive-disorganization"), 3 ("positive"), and 4 ("motor-physical changes") were negatively correlated with SOFAS total score; factors 1, 2, and 3 showed positive correlations with HoNOS total score; factors 2 and 3 present similar patterns of correlations, factor 3 manifesting the strongest association with HoNOS symptoms, HONOS and SOFAS total score. Both factors 5 and 6 show significant associations with HoNOS behavioral impairment; 3) after 6 months 28 participants (30.1%) converted to psychosis. Factors 2 and 3 were positively associated with the risk of transition to psychosis; whereas, the factor 5 ("affective factor") was negatively associated with the outcome variable.

Conclusions

It is thus crucial to recognize the type and severity of psychopathology in help-seeking individuals in order to intensive clinical monitoring of subclinical psychopathology risk profiles, and design specific care pathways.

The patient journey project in Italian mental health services: results from a co-designed survey on clinical interventions and current barriers to improve the care of people living with schizophrenia

Introduction

The Patient Journey Project aimed to analyze the scenario among Italian Mental Health Services (MHS) to understand the clinical interventions that are properly implemented and the ones deserving further implementation to design an effective treatment plan for patients living with schizophrenia (PLWS).

Methods

The 60-items survey was co-designed with all the stakeholders (clinicians, expert patients and caregivers) involved in the Patient Journey and focused on three phases of schizophrenia course: early detection and management, acute phase management, long-term management/continuity of care. Respondents were Heads of the Mental Health Departments and Addiction Services (MHDAS) or facilities directors throughout Italian MHS. For each statement, respondents expressed the consensus on the importance and the degree of implementation in clinical practice.

Results

Considering the importance of the statement, strong consensus was reached for most of the statements. Good levels of implementation were found on 2/17 statements of early detection and management, on 3/16 statements for acute phase management and on 1/27 statements of long-term management/continuity of care. Poor levels of implementation were found on 1/17 statements of early detection and management, none of acute phase management, and 4/27 statements for long-term management/continuity of care. Moderate levels of implementation were found on 14/17 statements for early detection and management, on 13/16 statements of acute phase management, and on 22/27 statements of long-term management/continuity of care. Thus, among Italian MHDAS, most interventions for PLWS were moderately implemented in clinical practice.

Discussion

Italian MHS have to provide new strategies and structural actions to overcome these current limitations and barriers to effectively improve the journey of PLWS. The areas that deserve most implementation include interventions during the early stage (especially the continuity of care between Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services and Adult Mental Health Services), the evidence-based psychosocial interventions during the chronic stages of the disorder, and the continuity of care after acute hospitalization.

The 'Parma At-Risk mental states' (PARMS) program: General description and process analysis after 5 years of clinical activity

AIM

From January 2016, the Parma Department of Mental Health developed a specialized care protocol - the 'Parma At-Risk Mental States' (PARMS) program - as a diffused service for early intervention in individuals at Clinical High Risk for Psychosis (CHR-P). The aims of this investigation were (1) to describe the PARMS structural organization and (2) to examine specific process indicators during the first 5 years of its clinical activity.

METHODS

All participants were adolescent and young adult help-seekers (aged 12-25 years) at CHR-P in accordance with well-defined psychometric criteria.

RESULTS

At entry, 52 subjects were provided with a dedicated protocol of care and only 14 dropped out during the first year of treatment. The Duration of Untreated Illness (DUI) overall decreased over time. Most of CHR-P participants suffered from 'Attenuated Psychotic Symptoms' and 'Brief, Limited, Intermittent Psychotic Symptoms' in the same percentage (48.1% [n = 25]). The most common DSM-IV-TR diagnosis was schizotypal personality disorder, followed by borderline personality disorder and brief psychotic disorder.

CONCLUSIONS

A specialized, evidence-based care protocol for CHR-P individuals within Italian adult and child/adolescent psychiatric services is feasible, also in adolescents, who have a high risk of falling through the child/adult service gap.

Mapping the implementation and challenges of clinical services for psychosis prevention in England

INTRODUCTION

Indicated primary prevention of psychosis is recommended by NICE clinical guidelines, but implementation research on Clinical High Risk for Psychosis (CHR-P) services is limited.

METHODS

Electronic audit of CHR-P services in England, conducted between June and September 2021, addressing core implementation domains: service configuration, detection of at-risk individuals, prognostic assessment, clinical care, clinical research, and implementation challenges, complemented by comparative analyses across service model. Descriptive statistics, Fisher's exact test and Mann-Whitney U-tests were employed.

RESULTS

Twenty-four CHR-P clinical services (19 cities) were included. Most (83.3%) services were integrated within other mental health services; only 16.7% were standalone. Across 21 services, total yearly caseload of CHR-P individuals was 693 (average: 33; range: 4-115). Most services (56.5%) accepted individuals aged 14-35; the majority (95.7%) utilized the Comprehensive Assessment of At Risk Mental States (CAARMS). About 65% of services reported some provision of NICE-compliant interventions encompassing monitoring of mental state, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), and family interventions. However, only 66.5 and 4.9% of CHR-P individuals actually received CBT and family interventions, respectively. Core implementation challenges included: recruitment of specialized professionals, lack of dedicated budget, and unmet training needs. Standalone services reported fewer implementation challenges, had larger caseloads (p = 0.047) and were more likely to engage with clinical research (p = 0.037) than integrated services.

DISCUSSION

While implementation of CHR-P services is observed in several parts of England, only standalone teams appear successful at detection of at-risk individuals. Compliance with NICE-prescribed interventions is limited across CHR-P services and unmet needs emerge for national training and investments.

Patterns of Care for Adolescent With Schizophrenia: A Delphi-Based Consensus Study

BACKGROUND

The current conceptualization of schizophrenia as neurodevelopmental disorder should lead to innovative public health policies in terms of a reorganization of the mental health care systems, particularly in the transition from adolescence to adulthood, to reduce personal, familiar, and social costs and burdens. The purpose of the project was to perform a survey among a panel of Italian schizophrenia experts, to share evidence-based information on adolescent schizophrenia and explore the degree of consensus among professionals in the following four macro-areas: early diagnosis; pharmacological treatment; health care system organization and transition process from adolescent to adulthood; and psychosocial interventions.

METHODS

The consensus process consisted of a two-step web-based Delphi method, which took place between June and November 2021. The survey was developed by a panel of four psychiatrists and four child neuropsychiatrists, identified as key opinion leaders (KOLs). The KOLs identified 21 statements involving a total of 70 items with a major need of clarification on early-onset schizophrenia (EOS). The survey was distributed to 86 specialists in psychiatry and child neuropsychiatry.

RESULTS

The results revealed a large agreement among the expert group on all the investigated areas of adolescent schizophrenia patterns of care and management. Consensus was ultimately reached for 67 items of the Delphi survey (95.7%), while negative consensus was reached for 2 items and no consensus was reached for 1 item.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, results showed a significant gap between the acquired scientific knowledge and clinical practice. In this scenario, it should be necessary to plan specific initiatives at a multiple level, to edit recommendations on clinical decision-making, as well as to prompt changes at the political and organizational levels, also involving scientific societies, patients, and family associations, to overcome the barriers that delay the implementation process.