Tuesday, May 19, 2009

JERI proves its worth for early psychosis

The development of psychosis is thought to be due to a combination of acute stress and vulnerability within a person's makeup. The Jorvi Early Psychosis Recognition and Intervention (JERI) project in Finland is an early intervention initiative aimed at at-risk teenagers. The team meets the adolescents (who are between 12 and 20) in their school or home, together with their parents and community co-worker. The aim of the team is to recognise potential risk cases and step in to improve the children's relationships at home, school and in their social lives, reducing stress and improving their functioning. A study of the project published in the journal Early Intervention in Psychiatry found that it improved functioning and overall quality of life and reduced depression, anxiety and pre-psychotic symptoms. The youngsters did not receive any therapy or antipsychotic medication over the course of the study.

You can find out more about this research at

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090514101944.htm

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