Detection and untreated psychosis

People suffering from their first episode of psychosis often experience long periods of untreated psychosis before coming into contact with psychiatric services. The duration of untreated psychosis (DUP) averages 1-2 years but the longer DUP is the worse people's prognosis. An early detection programme and a comprehensive information campaign have been shown to be effective in reducing DUP. A Danish study of 552 people looked at what happened in Copenhagen where an early detection team was established in 1998 without an accompanying information campaign. The study found that the mean DUP was a year and that the early-detection team on its own had had no effect in reducing it. However, more people who had some symptoms of psychosis, without the full-blown disorder, had been referred for treatment.

Nordentoft, Merete ... [et al] - Does a detection team shorten duration of untreated psychosis? Early Intervention in Psychiatry 2008, 2, 22-26