Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2010 May;61(5):512-5.
doi: 10.1176/appi.ps.61.5.512.

Portland identification and early referral: a community-based system for identifying and treating youths at high risk of psychosis

William R McFarlane  1 , William L Cook, Donna Downing, Mary B Verdi, Kristen A Woodberry, Anita Ruff
Affiliations

Portland identification and early referral: a community-based system for identifying and treating youths at high risk of psychosis

William R McFarlane et al. Psychiatr Serv. 2010 May.

Abstract

Objective: The Portland [Maine] Identification and Early Referral (PIER) program was established in 2000 as a prevention system for identifying and treating youths at high risk of an initial psychotic episode.

Methods: During six years, 7,270 professionals from the educational, medical, and mental health sectors were provided information on prodromal symptoms and means for rapid referral of at-risk youths, which resulted in referral of 780 youths who met eligibility criteria.

Results: After screening, 37% of the community referrals were found to be at high risk of psychosis, and another 20% had untreated or early psychosis, yielding an efficiency ratio of 57%. Prodromal cases identified were 46% of the expected incidence of psychosis in the catchment area. Community educational presentations were significantly associated with referrals about six months later; half of referrals were from outside the mental health system.

Conclusions: Community-based identification is an efficient public health strategy, offering the opportunity for preventive intervention.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Case disposition of individuals referred to the Portland Identification and Early Referral Program
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. McGlashan TH, Johannessen JO. Early detection and intervention with schizophrenia: rationale. Schizophrenia Bulletin. 1996;22:201–222. - PubMed
    1. Haroun N, Dunn L, Haroun A, et al. Risk and protection in prodromal schizophrenia: ethical implications for clinical practice and future research. Schizophrenia Bulletin. 2005;32:166–178. - PMC - PubMed
    1. McGlashan TH, Zipurksy RB, Perkins D, et al. Randomized, double-blind trial of olanzapine versus placebo in patients prodromally symptomatic for psychosis. American Journal of Psychiatry. 2006;163:790–799. - PubMed
    1. McGorry P, Yung A, Phillips L, et al. Randomized controlled trial of interventions designed to reduce the risk of progression to first-episode psychosis in a clinical sample with subthreshold symptoms. Archives of General Psychiatry. 2002;59:921–928. - PubMed
    1. Morrison AP, French P, Walford L, et al. Cognitive therapy for the prevention of psychosis in people at ultra-high risk: randomised controlled trial. British Journal of Psychiatry. 2004;185:291–297. - PubMed

Publication types