title: Clinical practice and research activities for early psychiatric intervention at Japanese leading centres.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe clinical practice and research activities for early psychiatric intervention in Japan, a country with a huge number of psychiatric beds and a history of long-stay, hospital-based psychiatry.
  
  
  METHODS
  The characteristics, methods and activities of early intervention studies and implementation at four leading institutions in Japan are described.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The Tokyo Youth Club (Tokyo), the Department of Neuropsychiatry of Toyama University Hospital (Toyama), the Sendai At-risk Mental State and First Episode (SAFE) service (Sendai), and the Il Bosco of Toho University Omori Medical Center (Tokyo) have unique and active psychiatric programmes. Eachcentre has its own clinical research programme and treatment strategies. The Japanese Society for the Prevention of Psychiatric Disorders, founded in 1996, has made a steady contribution to psychiatric care by providing a forum for members to promote best practices for early intervention and by hosting annual meetings to discuss research and treatment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The Japanese psychiatry service is continuing its transition from hospital-based psychiatry to community-based psychiatry. Despite these difficult circumstances, the publication of data on the duration of untreated psychosis in Japan along with evidence that early detection determines outcome has encouraged new attempts to promote early psychiatric intervention.
authors.affiliation: Il Bosco, Toho University Omori Medical Center, Department of Neuropsychiatry,Toho University School of Medicine, 6-11-1 Omori-Nishi, Ota-ku, Tokyo, Japan. mizuno@med.toho-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Masafumi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mizuno
authors.forename: Michio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Kazunori
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Matsumoto
authors.forename: Masaaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Murakami
authors.forename: Kiyoaki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takeshi
authors.forename: Tetsuo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Miyakoshi
authors.forename: Fumiaki
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.forename: Ryoko
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Yamazawa
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.forename: Takahiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nemoto
authors.forename: Masayoshi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kurachi
mesh_terms: D035843:Biomedical Research; D042241:Early Diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000628:therapy; D011570:Psychiatry; D012955:Societies, Medical