Early intervention services best for early-phase psychosis

(HealthDay)—Early intervention services (EIS) are better than treatment as usual (TAU) for early-phase psychosis across meta-analyzable outcomes, according to a review published online May 2 in JAMA Psychiatry.

Christoph U. Correll, M.D., from The Zucker Hillside Hospital in Glen Oaks, N.Y., and colleagues conducted a systematic literature review to compare EIS with TAU for early-phase psychosis. Data were included for 10 randomized clinical trials among 2,176 patients.

The researchers found that for all 13 meta-analyzable outcomes, EIS were correlated with better outcomes than TAU at the end of treatment. The outcomes included discontinuation of all-cause treatment (risk ratio, 0.7), at least one psychiatric hospitalization (risk ratio, 0.74), involvement in school or work (risk ratio, 1.13), total symptom severity (standardized mean difference [SMD], −0.32), and positive and negative symptom severity (SMD, −0.22 and −0.28, respectively). At six, nine to 12, and 18 to 24 months of treatment, the superiority of EIS regarding all outcomes was evident apart from general symptom and depressive symptom severity at 18 to 24 months.

"In early-phase psychosis, EIS are superior to TAU across all meta-analyzable outcomes," the authors write. "These results support the need for funding and use of EIS in patients with early-phase psychosis."

Several authors disclosed financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry.

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