Community-oriented family-based intervention superior to standard treatment in improving depression, hopelessness and functioning among adolescents with any psychosis-risk symptoms.

The aim of the present study was to compare change in functioning, affective symptoms and level of psychosis-risk symptoms in symptomatic adolescents who were treated either in an early intervention programme based on a need-adapted Family- and Community-orientated integrative Treatment Model (FCTM) or in standard adolescent psychiatric treatment (Treatment As Usual, TAU). 28 pairs were matched by length of follow-up, gender, age, and baseline functioning. At one year after the start of treatment, the matched groups were compared on change in functioning (GAF-M), five psychosis-risk dimensions of the Structured Interview for Psychosis-Risk Syndromes (SIPS), and self-reported anxiety, depression, and hopelessness symptoms (BAI, BDI-II, BHS).

Exploratory factor analysis of a 16D Health-Related Quality of Life instrument with adolescents seeking help for early psychiatric symptoms.

Background: Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is a widely studied phenomenon in health care. This study aimed to identify which factors can be extracted from a generic 16-dimension (16D) HRQoL instrument in a sample of adolescents seeking help for early psychiatric symptoms.

Methods: Data were collected at the Helsinki University Central Hospital (HUCH), Finland, by an early intervention team.

Discrepancy between self-reported and interviewed psychosis risk symptoms: auditory distortions are the most reliably reported symptom by self-report.

Aim: In the recent literature, there has been growing interest in assessment methods for detecting increased risk of developing psychosis. Self-report methods are popular but may lead to different results compared to clinical interviews.

Methods: The difference in psychosis risk scores was tested between self-reported psychosis risk symptoms (PROD-SR) and self-reported symptoms additionally confirmed by interview (PROD-SR + I).

Anxiety symptoms in adolescents at risk for psychosis: a comparison among help seekers.

Background: Several studies have reported on how anxiety disorders and anxiety symptoms are already present before the onset of psychosis. However, anxiety disorders are typically studied in these studies at diagnosis-level. The aim of present study was to investigate the profile of anxiety symptoms in subjects at risk of developing psychosis and to compare the anxiety profile with those who are not at risk.

Lower functioning predicts identification of psychosis risk screening status in help-seeking adolescents.

Aim: There is some previous evidence suggesting that the risk state for psychosis is associated with decreased functioning ability, health-related quality of life (QoL), anxiety and depression. The aim of this study is to identify which factors predict psychosis risk screening status.

Methods: The data were collected in Helsinki University Central Hospital, Finland, by an early intervention team.

Changes in health-related quality of life and functioning ability in help-seeking adolescents and adolescents at heightened risk of developing psychosis during family- and community-oriented intervention model.

Abstract Objective. Early intervention has been shown to benefit people at-risk for psychosis, but knowledge about how early intervention benefits all help-seeking adolescents is lacking. The aim of the present study was to study change in health-related quality of life (QoL) and functioning ability in help-seeking adolescents who participate in a community- and family-oriented early intervention program.

Changes in depression, anxiety and hopelessness symptoms during family- and community-oriented intervention for help-seeking adolescents and adolescents at risk of psychosis.

Background: Little is known about how symptoms are changed in adolescents who receive treatment in an early detection and intervention service.

Aims: The aims of the present research were to study change in depression, anxiety and hopelessness symptoms in a sample of help-seeking adolescents who participated in a community- and family-oriented early intervention programme.

Methods: The data was collected in Helsinki University Central Hospital (HUCH), Finland, by the JERI (Jorvi Early psychosis Recognition and Intervention) early intervention team; 85 help-seeking adolescents filled questionnaires of anxiety (Beck Anxiety Inventory), depression (Beck Depression Inventory II) and hopelessness (Beck Hopelessness Scale).

Health-related quality of life among adolescents: a comparison between subjects at risk for psychosis and other help seekers.

Aim: Schizophrenia is a severe illness associated with poor health-related quality of life (HRQoL), and there is some evidence that a risk state for psychosis is associated with decreased HRQoL. The aim of the present study was to investigate group differences in HRQoL in help seekers at risk for psychosis and not at risk for psychosis.

Methods: The data were collected by a Finnish early detection and intervention team at Helsinki University Central Hospital.

Depression symptoms in help-seeking adolescents: a comparison between adolescents at-risk for psychosis and other help-seekers.

Background: Depression and psychosis are severe diseases with onset in adolescence.

Aims: The aim of this study was to investigate the association between an at-risk status of psychosis and depression symptoms in adolescents.

Method: The data were collected by an early intervention team in Finland.

Adolescents at risk of psychosis have higher level of hopelessness than adolescents not at risk of psychosis.

Background: Hopelessness has been a widely studied phenomenon in psychotic disorders. However, previous evidence of hopelessness in at-risk state of psychosis is lacking. The primary aim of the present study was to investigate associations between at-risk state of psychosis and the level of hopelessness, the secondary aim being to investigate, at item-level, hopelessness differences in hopelessness profile of adolescents at risk of psychosis.

Differential results between self-report and interview-based ratings of risk symptoms of psychosis.

Aim: Assessing potential risk of developing psychosis has gained growing attention in recent literature. The selection of suitable assessment methods is the central question for this research endeavour. Whereas prodromal detection instruments are mostly interview-based instruments, there are short screening instruments for self-report use.

Associations between number of different type of care meetings with social network and improvement in mental well-being in adolescents at risk of first-episode psychosis.

Aim: As research in the care of people at risk of developing first-episode psychosis has mostly focused on cognitive behavioural therapy and antipsychotic medication, little is known about associations between changes in mental well-being and effect of people participating in the care.

Methods: Multiprofessional early intervention team met with adolescents who are at risk of psychosis, including coworkers and their families. Correlations were calculated between change scores in prepsychotic, functioning ability, quality of life (QoL), depression and anxiety scales, and number of family, coworker and adolescent-participating social network meetings, and total number of social network meetings during the care.

Poor functioning ability is associated with high risk of developing psychosis in adolescents.

Background: While functioning ability, quality of life (QoL) and depression are widely studied phenomena in schizophrenia, little is known about functioning ability, QoL and depression, especially among adolescents at high risk of developing first-episode psychosis.

Aim: To investigate associations between high risk of developing psychosis and functioning ability, depression and QoL among adolescents.

Methods: The data was collected by an early intervention team in Espoo, Finland, between 1 January 2007 and 31 May 2008.

Intervention to improve level of overall functioning and mental condition of adolescents at high risk of developing first-episode psychosis in Finland.

Aim: Being at high risk of developing psychosis has been suggested to be a result of a combination of acute life stressors and trait-like vulnerability to psychosis. Reducing levels of stress could support overall functioning and mental condition in those at risk.

Methods: The Jorvi Early Psychosis Recognition and Intervention (JERI) project at Helsinki University Central Hospital, Jorvi Hospital, Finland, is an early intervention team for adolescents at risk of developing first-episode psychosis.