Exploring the Health Status of People with First-Episode Psychosis Enrolled in the Early Intervention in Psychosis Program

Abstract

People diagnosed with mental disorders are at risk of developing physical health co-morbidities. An exploratory “within-subject” and “between-group” design examined the health outcomes of a group diagnosed with first-episode psychosis enrolled in an early intervention in psychosis program over 12 months. The findings were compared with a group diagnosed with psychosis for more than two years. Participants with first-episode psychosis recorded a significant increase in weight over 12 months when assessed against the comparison group. The findings show that the potential for developing physical health co-morbidities begins from the time of diagnosis and commencement of antipsychotic medications.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest.

Additional information

Funding

This project was supported by the Western Australian Department of Health under Targeted Research Funds 2013 Round 3 (Wynaden et al., 2014).