First-Episode Psychosis care in Central Europe: What we have learned and what we still need to do

Abstract

First Episode Psychosis (FEP) treatment is a critical element of mental health-care systems, which has been shown to improve outcomes in this patient group. Due to divergent historical and political trajectories, countries of Central and Eastern Europe have taken a different course in the development of mental health-care. Among these differences is the less advanced level of present FEP treatment networks. Traditionally mental health-care is more inpatient based in these countries, with a lesser emphasis on specialized outpatient services, and early intervention programmes have been only launched during the last 15 years. Despite the lag of the development of FEP services, a variety of models has been already started in our countries. In my lecture I will review the literature about the Central and Esteran European region. I will also present good practices of how the existing early intervention programmes can be integrated into the traditional mental health-care systems.DisclosureNo significant relationships.