Scientists come up with a more effective way to detect psychosis in young people

Researchers from the University of California found that a brief interview before seeing a psychiatrist increases the likelihood of identifying psychosis among young people. The results of the study are published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry.

According to scientists, psychosis is an abnormal condition that leads to difficulty in determining what is real and what is not. Symptoms may include delusions and hallucinations. Typically, the first symptoms occur during adolescence or between the ages of twenty and twenty-five. It is important to identify the first signs of the disease in time and begin treatment. To do this, it is necessary to improve the effectiveness of the diagnosis of psychosis.

As part of the study, the researchers provided a survey to ten community clinics and four schools. It was posted on the websites of organizations, it was taken before visiting a psychiatrist. The researchers analyzed data from 5,000 people, half of whom completed the survey and the other half did not. As it turned out, this survey more than doubles the effectiveness of identifying patients at risk of psychosis. Thus, in the first group, 136 cases (5.6%) were detected compared to 65 (2.6%).