Schizophrenia is a brain disorder with a lifetime prevalence near 1% that is associated with high levels of functional impairment and low expectations for recovery.1 Only 10% to 15% of people with schizophrenia work. The annual cost of schizophrenia in the United States in 2013 was estimated to be approximately $155.7 billion, including significant direct and indirect costs.2 Delivery of a new treatment approach called coordinated specialty care (CSC) to every young person experiencing the psychosis of early schizophrenia could change this state of affairs. The critical question is, “what will it take to make this happen?”
Several improvements seem to be common sense things to me, so I figure mental healthcare needs to improve in basic ways still. A previous clinic where I was receiving treatment, I told them I had a new phone with a new phone number. I was so out of it that I forgot to set up the voicemail on the phone, so when they tried to call, they couldn’t leave a message. Instead of using my email or my emergency contact to get in touch with me to schedule the next appointment, I received a letter in the mail telling me that they had closed my account due to not being able to reach me. In retrospect it blew my mind that they couldn’t take into consideration the cognitive difficulties of a patient recovering from a psychotic episode and couldn’t be bothered to use any of the other means to contact me. To me it seems like if mental healthcare providers haven’t even grasped that much, then they are still a long ways off from providing anywhere near the quality and efficiency of care needed.