At Risk Teens For Psychosis More Concerned About Symptoms Than Stigma

the Psychiatry Advisor take:

Young people deemed at high risk for psychosis find more stigma in the symptoms associated with the condition than in the labeling associated with it.

Lawrence H. Yang, PhD, of the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University, and colleagues conducted a prospective cohort study at the New York State Psychiatric Institute at the Center of Prevention and Evaluation (COPE), which offers treatment and resources to participants about early symptoms and risk of schizophrenia.

Young people enrolled in the program were told that while they were at increased risk for psychosis, they were not likely to develop the condition. But they were also advised that if they develop psychosis, they would receive treatment quickly.

They were also told that if they did develop psychosis, they would receive immediate treatment, which tends to be effective. In this study, which was published in the journal Schizophrenia Research, young people were asked about their stigma experiences on average about 11 months after they entered the COPE program.

“We were able to distinguish feelings of stigma due to attending a specialized high-risk clinic from the stigma of having symptoms and experiences,” Yang said in a statement. “While the stigma of symptoms and experiences appear greater, the results indicate that both forms of stigma provide targets for intervention.”