Mueser says the study demonstrates that it is possible to deliver effective, comprehensive, individualized treatment for schizophrenia early on and within the US healthcare system, and that such care improves the lives of people with these mental health conditions. “The thing that really buoys my spirits and my hopes is that we really can help people who are struggling with psychotic symptoms for the first time in their lives,” he says.
“With first-episode psychosis, you have the opportunity to get the treatment right, from early on, before individuals and their families give up,” he adds. “We see improvements across the board—in social relationships, at work and in school, in reduction of the severity of symptoms, in all the things that are most important to people experiencing an episode of psychosis. This shows that having a team of mental health professionals who share the goal of promoting recovery from a first episode and who work together to integrate psychosocial and pharmacological treatments can be effective at improving people’s functioning and their quality of life.”
One of the keys to the success of NAVIGATE, Mueser says, is that teams of mental health specialists collaborated with patients, and with their families, to develop individualized treatment plans. “The overall team worked together, had regular meetings, planned how to coordinate the different treatment components,” he says. “Everything was driven by what the clients’ goals were. Decision-making was shared, and everyone worked together, including the client, family, and the NAVIGATE team.”
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