The Outreach and Education team is working to expand the reach of knowledge about early psychosis and its treatment among diverse stakeholder and disseminate informational resources about the MEIP throughout Maryland.
Who we serve
Our team is happy to coordinate a presentation for any organization seeking to learn more about psychosis, including but not limited to the following groups:
School Personnel
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 young people every day may be able to notice changes that others might not.
Our team helps schools by providing outreach and education to administration, staff, and teachers. Our interactive presentations offer information on understanding psychosis and recognizing early warning signs and are focused on minimizing stigma and reducing misinformation about mental illness. We also provide information on when and how to make a referral to the Coordinated Specialty Care clinics within the MEIP network.
Behavioral Health Providers
Behavioral health providers can help individuals with psychosis by understanding the earliest signs of illness and connecting them 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. A shorter duration of untreated psychosis (DUP) is associated with improved functional outcomes and quality of life for individuals experiencing early psychosis.
Primary Care Physicians
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 become more pronounced.
Our presentations offer methods for identifying the earliest symptoms of psychosis, information about available evidence-based practices, and referral procedures for consultations and behavioral health treatment.
The MEIP also offers a variety of direct services, including clinical and consultation services. To explore what services will be most useful for you and/or your organization, please call our centralized line:
