ONE in four people can expect to experience mental health difficulties at some time in their lives ? but a new team is expanding its work into Mid Devon to help young people get help early to assist recovery. The Specialist Team for Early Psychosis (STEP) service is a community outreach programme aimed at helping people aged from 14 to 35, who are showing the first signs of psychosis. Symptoms of early psychosis vary from case to case, but signs to look out for among young people included acting withdrawn, feelings of anxiety and changes to their normal behaviour, right through to hearing voices. Young people with early psychosis could also become distanced from family and friends and their work at school or in a job could start to suffer. Service co-ordinator Yvette Denham said the service focussed on helping people in their late teens and early twenties, which was the peak time people were likely to experience these sorts of problems. She said: ?The earlier the stage we start working with someone, the more likely we are to have a better outcome and lessen the impact on the person?s life. We hope they can then maintain their normal life experience and expectations.? The STEP service, established through the Devon Partnership NHS Trust, is open to referrals from the individual, family, teachers, youth workers, GPs and other agencies. Yvette said it was important to work with a young person?s family as well. ?We work with the whole family and tend to go where the client wants to be seen. If they don?t want to discuss their problems in the home environment, we can arrange another venue where they would be more comfortable. ?The impact of psychosis on families is enormous. They have a sense of having lost touch with the person in their family,? she said. Yvette said it could be difficult for parents to distinguish between ?adolescent angst? and a deeper problem but she would always encourage parents to try to communicate with their children. Yvette said drugs and alcohol could be part of the problem. ?You can?t really talk about psychosis without mentioning substance misuse. I don?t see drugs such as cannabis as a cause, but I see it as a possible trigger if someone has a predisposition to psychosis,? she said. The service was pioneered in North Devon where it has already successfully benefitted many young people and is now being broadened to cover the Mid Devon area too. Yvette said in largely rural areas like Mid Devon, it was quite common for young people to feel isolated, but she wanted them to be aware that help was available. Yvette said the team was keen to develop it?s youth and college work to reach out to young people, for example through a play On The Edge, which has toured schools and colleges around the county. The STEP team has a multi-disciplinary make-up which includes two nurses, a social worker, a clinical psychologist and an occupational therapist. ?We are a small specialist team and we offer an intense level of intervention. We aim to see people as often as they need to be seen. We also link into broader mental health services, such as psychiatry,? said Yvette. She said when someone is referred to the team, a three-month assessment is carried out and the team can work with a person to address their problems for up to three years, providing family work, therapy and advice on medication. ?After three years, the vast majority of people would be referred back to primary care.? Yvette said lots of work was being done to decrease the stigma that still surrounded mental illness. She described STEP as a ?new service with a new approach?. ?This can happen to anyone,? she said. ?It is a very non-discriminating condition and there is no telling how and when it might happen.? If you have concerns about changes in your state of mind or have concerns about someone close to you STEP can be contacted on 01271 335057.
