What is First Episode Psychosis?
First Episode Psychosis (FEP) is a mental health condition that temporarily interferes with the brain’s ability to make out reality and causes disruptions in thoughts and perceptions. Everyone’s experience with psychosis is different. Psychosis often comes and goes in episodes and involves loss of contact with reality, such as hallucinations (seeing or hearing things others do not) or delusions (beliefs that are not based in reality).
Who does psychosis normally affect?
Peak ages of onset ranges from 15-30 years of age and typically affects males
Coordinated Speicalty Care (CSC) is the recovery-oriented treatment program utilized in treating individuals with First Episode Psychosis. CSC promotes shared decision making and uses a team of specialists who work with the client to create a personal treatment plan including psychotherapy, medication management, family education and support, case management, and work or education support. Learn more about CSC here NIMH » What is Coordinated Specialty Care (CSC)? (nih.gov)
North Dakota HELP (Helping, Empowering and Learning about Psychosis) programs provide CSC treatment for individuals in psychosis. If you are concerned about someone, please reach out to one of the following HELP programs for more information:
- HELP-Southeast (Fargo)
(701) 630-0898 - HELP- West Central (Bismarck)
(701) 328-8841 - Community Outreach
Monica McConkey, LPC
(218) 280-7785
- Online Resources for Building Knowledge about early Psychosis
- Psychoeducation Handouts for Clients and Families
- Cannabis Use and Psychosis
- Positive and Negative Symptoms in First Episode Psychosis
- Developmental Risk Factor Model of Psychosis
- Long Term Suicide Risk in FEP
- CBT for Psychosis Fact Sheet
- CBT for Psychosis North Dakota Slideshow-Part 1
Understanding Psychosis: Early Identification and Treatment
CBT for Psychosis - Session 1
Resources
- Reality Monitoring and Psychotic Hallucinations
- CBTp Fact Sheet
- The Role of Common Factors in Psychotherapy Outcomes
- The third wave of cognitive behavioral therapy and the rise of process-based care
- Verbal self-monitoring and auditory hallucinations in schizophrenia
- A manualized treatment protocol to guide delivery of evidence-based cognitive therapy for people with distressing psychosis