Early intervention for psychotic disorders in a community mental health center

Early intervention may improve long-term outcomes for psychotic illnesses. Early-intervention services in other countries have focused on reducing the duration of untreated illness and adapting interventions for younger patients. This column describes the process of building such a service, called specialized treatment early in psychosis (STEP), at the Connecticut Mental Health Center. This effort is rooted in a longstanding collaborative relationship between the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services and Yale. The authors describe the critical contribution of such partnerships in evaluating the cost-effectiveness of early intervention in a "real-world" U.S. setting.