Researchers at the NIHR Bristol BRC and the Centre for Academic Primary Care identified high thresholds for accessing treatment and limited treatment availability as barriers to successful guideline implementation.
People with an at-risk mental state (ARMS) are seen as being at risk of developing psychosis because of some of the symptoms they may be experiencing. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommend that people with ARMS should be referred to Early Intervention (EI) teams or other specialised services for assessment and treatment. This is because intervening early can prevent psychosis from developing.
However, BRC’s researchers found that referring or getting people assessed by an EI team is a complicated process. Overall findings suggested that many people who could potentially meet the threshold for ARMS are either not seen by EI teams or not being offered specialist treatment.
Paper: Strelchuk D et al. (2023). The identification and management of people with an at-risk mental state (ARMS) for psychosis in primary and secondary care services: A qualitative interview study. Early Intervention in Psychiatry.