title: The Singapore Early Psychosis Intervention Programme (EPIP): A programme evaluation.
abstract: The alarmingly long duration of untreated psychosis (DUP) in Singapore and probable severe consequences were the impetus for establishing the Early Psychosis Intervention Programme (EPIP) in 2001. In 2007, EPIP became a part of the National Mental Health Blueprint. Here, we report some of the programme's outcomes.
  
  
  METHODS
  Consecutive patients accepted into EPIP from April 2007 to March 2011 were included. Programme inclusion criteria were: (1) age between 15 and 41 years, (2) first-episode psychotic disorder with no prior or minimal treatment, (3) no current history of substance abuse, and (4) no history of major medical or neurological illness. EPIP has incorporated an evaluation component to the clinical programme by administering regular structured assessments and generating operational statistics from our hospital's data systems.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Between April 2007 to March 2011, 815 patients had been accepted and 795 had baseline data. 50.8% (404/795) were males, with mean age of 27 years (±6.5 years). Mean DUP (SD) was 14.6 (±25.2) months and median was 6 months. At the end of two years, 71.1% (202/284) achieved symptomatic remission as defined by the Schizophrenia Working Group, 84.9% (241/284) scored 61 or more on Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) disability and 76.5% (274/358) had returned back to school or were gainfully employed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Being a national programme, EPIP had articulated process and outcome indicators to our stakeholders, and a periodic report card on these outcomes makes us accountable to our funders, our patients and their families.
authors.affiliation: Early Psychosis Intervention Programme (EPIP), Institute of Mental Health, 10 Buangkok View, Singapore 539 747, Singapore.
authors.forename: Swapna
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Verma
authors.affiliation: Early Psychosis Intervention Programme (EPIP), Institute of Mental Health, 10 Buangkok View, Singapore 539 747, Singapore.
authors.forename: Lye Yin
authors.initials: LY
authors.lastname: Poon
authors.affiliation: Research Unit, Institute of Mental Health, 10 Buangkok View, Singapore 539 747, Singapore.
authors.forename: Mythily
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Subramaniam
authors.affiliation: Research Unit, Institute of Mental Health, 10 Buangkok View, Singapore 539 747, Singapore.
authors.forename: Edimansyah
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Abdin
authors.affiliation: Research Unit, Institute of Mental Health, 10 Buangkok View, Singapore 539 747, Singapore.
authors.forename: Siow Ann
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Chong
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000341:Affective Disorders, Psychotic / Q000628:therapy; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D019090:Case Management; D003376:Counseling; D061345:Early Medical Intervention; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D015397:Program Evaluation; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000628:therapy*; D012074:Remission Induction; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000628:therapy*; D012563:Schizophrenia, Paranoid / Q000628:therapy*; D012846:Singapore; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents