Racialised groups face worse psychosis care outcomes, study finds

People from racialised communities have worse outcomes from early psychosis services, new research suggests. 

A new study, known as EXTEND, looked at Early Intervention in Psychosis (EIP) services, which provide community-based care to people experiencing their first episode of psychosis.

The Centre for Mental Health, who published the research, said the findings reflected longstanding inequalities in society and the NHS. 

Psychosis can cause people to see, hear or believe things that aren’t real, and is a symptom of conditions including schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. 

The study, released on Friday, also revealed that people had better outcomes when EIP services offered a range of treatments recommended in clinical guidance, including a care coordinator, physical health checks, talking therapies, employment help and support for loved ones and carers. 

Against this backdrop, the Centre for Mental Health is calling on the government to set clear expectations for EIP services in its planned Modern Service Framework and is asking ministers to continue the Patient and Carer Race Equality Framework.

Andy Bell, chief executive at Centre for Mental Health, said: ‘Early Intervention in Psychosis is a vital part of the mental health system. It provides support at a crucial time in a person’s life.

‘The research produced by EXTEND is a reminder that EIP must be high quality to meet people’s needs effectively. And like all mental health services, EIP must address racism and racial inequity to offer the best possible support to everyone who needs it.’

While the research highlights the need for better care for people experiencing psychosis for the first time, it reveals gaps when people leave EIP services. 

Carolyn Chew-Graham, professor of general practice research at Keele University, who led the qualitative research, said: ‘We interviewed service users and carers who described the very helpful support they received whilst under EIP services, which stopped on discharge, particularly to primary care. Our Lived Experience Group emphasised that further work is needed to smooth this transition.’

Arguably, the study couldn’t have come at a better time. Separate data from NHS England shows over 550,000 people live with conditions like schizophrenia of bipolar disorder in the UK. 

Image: Alice Guardado/UnSplash

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