The onset of serious mental illness, such as psychosis, often occurs between the ages of 12 and 25. Vulnerability to these illnesses may be inherited or acquired early in development, but they most often emerge in their full-blown form during adolescence or young adulthood. School staff members who see these young people every day may be able to notice changes that others might not.

The Maryland EIP helps schools by providing outreach and education to administration, staff, and teachers. Our interactive presentations offer information on understanding psychosis and recognizing the early warning signs. The presentations are designed to minimize stigma and reduce misinformation about mental illness. We also provide information on when to make a referral to the EIP.

Contact us for more information on how the EIP can be helpful in your school.

Behavioral health providers can help people with psychosis by understanding the earliest signs illness and connecting individuals with appropriate evidence-based treatment. The symptom profile for early psychosis is complex, and early symptoms of psychosis can be easily misinterpreted as other illnesses such as mood disorders, substance use disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorder. We offer specialized training for behavioral health providers in identifying individuals at risk for or experiencing early psychosis. We also offer training in techniques (such as Shared Decision Making) that can be particularly helpful when working with individuals in the earliest stages of a mental illness with psychosis.

Expediting effective treatment could improve the lives of individuals experiencing early psychosis by reducing the duration of their untreated symptoms. Shorter duration of untreated psychosis (DUP) is associated with improved functional outcomes and quality of life for individuals experiencing early psychosis. Individuals receiving effective treatment with a behavioral health provider are also less likely to have relapses or be hospitalized. Behavioral health providers can be equipped to 1) offer individuals and their families education about early psychosis, including common symptoms and strategies for coping; 2) effectively discuss treatment decisions, including medications, with individuals; 3) engage families in the treatment process; and 4) better understand and administer psychotropic medications, as appropriate.

The EIP also offers specialized training in co-occurring mental illness and substance use disorders. Substance abuse is the most common co-occurring disorder in people with psychosis, but ordinary substance abuse treatment programs usually do not address this population's special needs. When mental health treatment programs and substance use treatment programs are used together, individuals get better results.

Behavioral Health Providers may also choose to refer individuals experiencing these symptoms for consultations or treatment. The EIP offers a variety of services such as clinical and consultation services, to behavioral health providers.

Contact us for more information on how the EIP can be helpful in your agency.

Primary care physicians (PCPs) commonly care for individuals presenting with a wide variety of symptoms. A PCP may be the first professional contacted when an individual experiences early symptoms of a mental illness with psychosis. By better understanding the clinical presentation at the earliest stages of psychosis, PCPs may play an integral role in identifying individuals and connecting them with effective treatment. PCPs may also help people with warning signs of psychosis get critical early treatment and education before these symptoms significantly disrupt their lives.

Individuals with a mental illness with psychosis have more comorbid medical conditions and higher mortality rates than patients without a serious mental illness. Many medications prescribed for serious mental illness have significant metabolic and cardiovascular adverse effects.

The EIP offers education in areas such as 1) methods for identifying the earliest symptoms of psychosis; 2) available evidence-based practices; 3) referral procedures for consultations and behavioral health treatment; 4) psychotropic medication management; and 5) comorbid medical conditions for individuals experiencing a mental illness with psychosis. The EIP also offers a variety of direct services, such as clinical and consultation services, to primary care physicians.

Contact us for more information on how the EIP can be helpful in your clinic.

The Strive for Wellness Clinic, an early identification and intervention clinic, is aimed at identifying young people between the ages of 12 and 25 who are either in full psychosis or at high risk for becoming so, and getting them into immediate treatment. The program provides a continuum of care for those individuals, with clinicians available to provide assessment and offer treatment options. Additionally, the program staff work closely with schools, houses of worship, law enforcement, and other communities that come into contact with young people to promote public awareness and decrease stigma about mental illness. The hope is that the program will contribute to a better understanding of psychosis, what triggers it, and how to treat it.

The MPRC First Episode Psychosis Clinic (FEC), an outpatient research clinic, is designed to address the needs of adolescents and young adults between the ages of 12 and 45 who have recently developed psychotic symptoms or illness. The purpose of the FEC is to work intensively with clients and their families to provide education about the illness, to provide medications and therapy, and to link patients with the resources they may need (housing, insurance, etc.). Transportation can be provided free of cost, based on a demonstrated need. The FEC is part of the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center (MPRC), which is part of the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

Watch this short video for more information on the First Episode Clinic and the early identification and treatment of psychosis. 

Click the following link for more information on Early Psychosis.

The Recovery After an Initial Schizophrenia Episode (RAISE) Connection Program seeks to fundamentally change the trajectory and prognosis of schizophrenia through coordinated and aggressive treatment in the earliest stages of illness. The RAISE Connection Program is designed to reduce the likelihood of long-term disability that people with schizophrenia often experience. It aims to help people with the disorder lead productive, independent lives by helping with recovery, empowerment, skills training, and personalized support.

Watch this short video for more information on the RAISE Connection Program and the early identification and treatment of psychosis. 

Click the following link for more information on Early Psychosis.

Please note that in some of our training and educational materials, we refer to RAISE or RAISE services. This refers to the RAISE Connection Program at the Carruthers Clinic and should not be confused with the larger NIMH RAISE research project.

To make a referral to any of our three center of excellence clinics for an individual experiencing early signs or symptoms of psychosis, please call our centralized contact line at (877) 277-MEIP (6347)

The Maryland Early Intervention Program Network is a group of providers participating in Maryland’s statewide effort to provide better services for individuals experiencing early psychosis.   Members of the Maryland EIP Network receive specialized training from the EIP and participate in supportive services through learning collaboratives hosted by EIP specialists. Members of the Maryland EIP Network offer a wide array of services for early psychosis.  Some partner clinics offer full coordinated specialty care services using the model developed through the RAISE-IES study.  Other clinics are trained to offer varying levels of services that are integrated with the Maryland EIP's consultation and treatment services.

For more information on members of the Maryland EIP Network, please click on the links for our partner clinics below.  

Johns Hopkins Early Psychosis Intervention Clinic/Maryland EIP (EPIC/EIP)

Baltimore, MD 

410-550-0137 

OnTrack Maryland at Family Services, Inc.

Gaithersburg, MD

301-840-3297

Both teams are operational and are accepting referrals of young people with a mental illness with psychosis that have been identified within the last two years.
 
For more information on training or on becoming a member of the Maryland EIP Network/learning collaborative, please visit the Training and Implementation Support Services tab or contact Dr. Melanie Bennett, mbennett@psych.umaryland.edu