Stepped Care for Emerging Adults at Clinical High Risk for Psychosis
Schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders are amongst the most debilitating of illnesses. Focusing on youth at clinical high-risk (CHR) for psychosis offers insights into predictors of transition to psychosis. Around 15-20% of CHR youth develop full-blown psychosis within two years. However, most have ongoing poor functioning. Existing treatments are limited due to the diverse outcomes of CHR youth. Challenges of emerging adulthood affect CHR youth, and specialized resources addressing their transition are lacking.
Researchers have aimed to identify psychosis risk, and treatments to delay or prevent psychosis onset are sought after. Though effective, there are few randomized controlled trials (RCTs) for CHR individuals. Education, CBT, family therapy, or medications could be stepwise treatments based on response. Understanding responses at each step is essential for designing such trials.
The aim is to find the best way to offer treatment for CHR youth. The project tests whether clinical staging improves prognosis prediction and treatment matching. Objectives include identifying remission proportions with different treatments over time, evaluating treatment adherence, and assessing the need for maintenance treatment.
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The University of Calgary, located in the heart of Southern Alberta, both acknowledges and pays tribute to the traditional territories of the peoples of Treaty 7, which include the Blackfoot Confederacy (comprised of the Siksika, the Piikani, and the Kainai First Nations), the Tsuut’ina First Nation, and the Stoney Nakoda (including Chiniki, Bearspaw, and Goodstoney First Nations). The City of Calgary is also home to the Métis Nation of Alberta (Districts 5 and 6).
