Early intervention in psychosis [EIP] services, UK: a critical analysis of the evidence

ABSTRACT

The UK mental health reforms have attracted major government funding. This has been used to commission specialized community teams for people with severe mental illness. The reforms include changes to services for first-episode psychosis, which have gained huge consumer support. The UK service reforms are continuing, with the aim of providing services fit for the 21st century. In this article, we have reviewed the evidence which led to the establishment of early intervention services in the UK by using a selected review methodology. The review includes the historical background to EIP [Early Intervention in psychosis], what is EIP, where it originated from, what was the evidence leading stake holders to push the government to incorporate it in the National Health Policy. What policy reforms took place, and how the government went about implementing these services. We have discussed the current situation of the service. Furthermore we have discussed the gaps in the policy which have been identified. We end the paper with recommendations to policy makers