Early Intervention Programme for Young Adults in Northern Italy: A 10-Year Analysis of Socio-Demographic and Clinical Characteristics.

Abstract

Early intervention represents an opportunity to contain psychological distress and intervene promptly on conditions that, otherwise, could assume a chronic course. Based on these observations, an early intervention programme for people 18-25 years old, the 'Progetto Giovani' (Youth Project), was implemented in two adult mental health services (AMHSs) in the northwest of Italy. This study aims to describe the socio-demographic and clinical characteristics of the patients included in the Youth Project from 1 January 2013 to 31 December 2022. A retrospective observational design was used. In 10 years, 323 patients were taken into care. More than half (56.3%) were females; the mean age was 20.7 years (SD 2.3). The most frequent diagnosis was anxiety disorder (38%). Seventy per cent of subjects benefitted from psychological treatment, and 60.8% had a pharmacological prescription. In 87.8% of cases, the care pathway was ≤ 24 months, and more than two-thirds of the subjects did not go to another AMHS after discharge. More than 90% of subjects did not require hospitalisation in the psychiatric diagnostic and treatment service. These findings suggest that early intervention programmes may be a valuable tool for AMHSs to improve patient outcomes and reduce the burden on the healthcare system.