title: Early psychosis intervention service for children and youth: a retrospective chart review of the first four years.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  There are at present no published reports of outpatient Early Psychosis Intervention (EPI) service designed for children aged 16 years and under. The objectives of this study are to describe aspects of an outpatient paediatric EPI programme from the time period after the initial pilot and during its first 4 years of service with dedicated staffing.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study employed a retrospective chart review model in which variables were operationalized and then extracted from existing patient medical records spanning a 4-year time period. Data were then analysed for frequency, mean and range values.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Demographic characteristics and service profiles for 56 patients were collected. The majority were male (64.3%) and the mean age was 14.8 years (range: 9-17 years). The average number of days from referral to first in-person contact was 7.3 days. The most common discharge diagnosis was Bipolar Disorder (38.7%) followed by Psychosis Not Otherwise Specified (25.8%) in those with psychosis, whereas an anxiety disorder was the most common diagnosis in those who were not psychotic. The majority of discharged patients were able to be followed up by community-based services. Readmission and hospitalization rates for this EPI service were low.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings of this study suggest that an EPI model of care extended to a younger age group can be implemented to provide early intervention to youth with a range of psychiatric disorders that present with psychotic symptoms.
authors.affiliation: Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
authors.forename: Ashley
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Morris
authors.forename: Mary K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Nixon
authors.forename: Randy
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Keyes
authors.forename: Douglas
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ashmore
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living / Q000523:psychology; D000293:Adolescent; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000628:therapy; D002648:Child; D042241:Early Diagnosis; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008605:Mental Health Services; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000628:therapy; D012189:Retrospective Studies
chemical_list: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents