Boost for young psychosis sufferers

Health bodies, practitioners and ministers have joined together in
support of a strategy aimed at improving services for young people
with psychosis diagnoses.

The Newcastle Declaration, made up of five-year targets, calls for
early access to services for young people with psychosis, and a
right to recovery and social inclusion. It also demands training
and support for families.

The declaration states that every 15 year old should be equipped by
mainstream education to understand and obtain help for psychosis,
and that psychosis awareness training should be provided for
teachers.

It sets a target for the time between the onset of psychosis and
obtaining support to be less than three months, and for first
contact with families who support the individual to be within four
weeks.

It also states that care for young people with psychosis should be
part of the training of all health and social care practitioners,
while staff working in primary care and community support agencies,
such as the police, ambulance and housing, should also receive
education about psychosis.

The declaration has already received the support of health minister
Jacqui Smith, and is in line with the aims of Community
Care’s Changing Minds campaign.