Early detection, intervention and prevention of psychosis program: Community outreach and early identification at six U.S. Sites

Objective: This study assessed the effects of a community outreach and education model implemented as part of the Early Detection, Intervention and Prevention of Psychosis Program(EDIPPP), a nationalmultisite study in six U.S. regions. Methods: EDIPPP's model was designed to generate rapid referrals of youths at clinical high risk of psychosis by creating a network of professionals and community members trained to identify signs of early psychosis. Qualitative and quantitative data were gathered through an evaluation of outreach efforts at five sites over a two-year period and through interviews with staff at all six sites. All outreach activities to groups (educational, medical, and mental health professionals; community groups; media; youth and parent groups; and multicultural communities) were counted for the six sites to determine correlations with total referrals and enrollments. Results: During the study period (May 2007-May 2010), 848 formal presentations were made to 22,840 attendees and 145 informal presentations were made to 11,528 attendees at all six sites. These presentations led to 1,652 phone referrals. A total of 520 (31%) of these individuals were offered inperson orientation, and 392 (75%) of those were assessed for eligibility. A total of 337 individuals (86% of those assessed) met criteria for assignment to the EDIPPP study. Conclusions: EDIPPP's outreach and education model demonstrated the effectiveness of following a protocoldefined outreach strategy combined with flexibility to reach culturally diverse audiences or initially inaccessible systems. All EDIPPP sites yielded appropriate referrals of youths at risk of psychosis.