The Sussex Psychosis Research Interest Group (SPRiG) incorporates clinical and academic researchers within the University of Sussex, Brighton and Sussex Medical School and Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.
Current research includes the contribution of genetics, neuroimaging, psychological processes, health and social contexts to psychosis and well-being outcomes; the development of new psychological therapies, including third wave CBT and computer-based therapies; understanding and addressing children’s and adolescents’ attitudes to psychosis, to promote positive non-stigmatising schema; and earlier engagement in help seeking.
We host SPRiG seminars throughout the year online through Zoom. These seminars are always on the last Wednesday of the month at 4pm-5pm.
Next seminar
Wednesday 27 May 4pm-5pm
Early intervention in psychosis in Northern Italy: a diffuse (“liquid”) model between research and clinical practice
From January 2013, all Departments of Mental Health in Emilia-Romagna region (Northern Italy) developed specific protocols of care implemented as diffused ("liquid") services for early intervention in psychosis. Specifically, these are protocols to provide dedicated, expertise-driven, and evidence-based interventions to adolescents and young adults with first episode psychosis (FEP) or in the prodromal phase of psychosis (Clinical High Risk [CHR]). Main reasons leading to the decision of implementing these protocols have been (1) to improve the quality of processes and outcomes of intervention, establishing a specialized EIP protocols aimed to the early detection, diagnosis and treatment of people with FEP or at CHR for psychosis, in accordance with well-defined guidelines on the topic; (2) to reduce the variability of interventions, standardizing them in all child/adolescent and adult Mental Health Services of the regional Parma Departments of Mental Health; (3) to allow an accurate evaluation of the adherence of treatments provided in the Pr-EP protocol to the evidence-based recommendations; and (4) to structure tailored and patient-centred intervention projects (i.e., differentiated on the basis of the analysis of people's health needs), supporting the implementation of individual, planned care pathway as the most suitable model for the clinical-organizational management of early psychosis.
Within this clinical context, we put crucial attention on integrating clinical practice and research, giving the same importance to results reported by clinical trials and those emerged from the "real world". As an example, we discussed the findings of our research on the use of antipsychotics in individuals at CHR for psychosis, highlighting the great discrepancy between international guidelines' suggestions and prescription's' behaviours of clinicians in our services
