Long-term effects of a community intervention for early identification of first-episode psychosis

Objective: To assess whether an Early Case Identification Program (ECIP) for first‐episode psychosis (FEP), which showed no significant short‐term effects, has a delayed impact on duration of untreated psychosis (DUP). Method: Using a historical control design, FEP patients were assessed on clinical variables over three consecutive phases, 2 years prior, 2 years during and 3 years after implementation of the ECIP. Additional analyses were conducted on non‐affective and schizophrenia spectrum psychoses cases only. Results: There was no overall significant difference in DUP across the three phases. For cases treated within the first year of illness a nonsignificant reduction in DUP to less than 2 months observed during the active phase was sustained post‐ECIP. Conclusion: In some jurisdictions community‐wide early case detection may fail to have an immediate or delayed effect on DUP, especially for cases who normally present for treatment with DUP >1 year.