First-episode psychosis patients recruited into treatment via early detection teams versus ordinary pathways: course and health service use during 5 years

Aim: To compare the 5-year course and outcome of first-episode psychosis (FEP) patients recruited via active outreach detection teams (DTs) versus ordinary referral channels (not-DT). Methods: Longitudinal comparison of two parallel consecutive samples on the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale Score and the Global Assessment of Functioning Scale. Altogether, 203 FEP patients were identified, of whom 42 refused to participate. Included were 161 patients: 56 DT and 105 not-DT. Results: After 2 years, the DT group developed more cases of schizophrenia with poorer prognostic features. However, the two groups did not differ significantly on outcome measures. More DT patients were treated as outpatients only and had fewer admissions and shorter total time as inpatients during the observation period. Conclusions: We have previously shown that detection teams recruited more chronic patients with poorer prognostic features, but fewer symptoms and better functioning at baseline. After 2 years, the DT patients functioned as well as the not-DT patients. At 5 years, both groups have stabilized to the same plateau of low symptom severity.