Psychosis: EIE
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Psychosis: A Qualitative Study of the Ethics of Early Intervention
IRAS ID
195180
Contact name
Ilina Singh
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Oxford CTRG
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 6 months, 1 days
Research summary
Psychosis is a relevant public health issue as psychotic disorders have an annual prevalence of approximately 4 people every 1000 in the general British population. Psychosis is characterized by a range of psychological symptoms including hallucinations, disorganized speech, delusional thoughts and catatonic behaviour. Moreover, individuals suffering with psychosis are at higher risk for poorer general health, functional impairment, comorbidity and suicidal behaviour.
In recent years, Early Intervention in Psychosis (EIP) has been implemented by NHS as a mean to early detection and intervention for young people experiencing a First Episode of Psychosis (FEP), or who are deemed as high-risk for developing a psychotic disorder (At-Risk-Mental-State). Although evidence suggests that EIP may prevent some of the harms associated with psychotic disorders and to improve prognosis, a number of concerns have been raised with regard to the ethical issues involved in EIP for young people.
The present study will extend the body of research on social and ethical implications of EIP programmes by investigating the conceptualization and enactment of ‘good practice’ in EIP from the perspective of service users and clinicians. The study will investigate the following research question: What is ‘good practice’ in early intervention in psychosis?
Using a qualitative study design this study will include approximately 55 individual semi-structured interviews with 40 young EIP service users aged 14 to 24 and 15 clinicians in EIP services. Recruitment will take place in multiple NHS sites in England hosting an EIP service. Data collection and analysis will last for six months.
Relevant themes will be extracted from the interviews and presented in reports and articles to be submitted to bioethics and clinical journals. Overall, this study aims to provide the scientific community and the policy debate with relevant insights on how to foster good practice in EIP services.
REC name
South Central - Oxford A Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/SC/0122
Date of REC Opinion
5 Apr 2016
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion