Psychosis can be very frightening for the person experiencing it. People with psychosis have difficulty interpreting the world around them and may experience hallucinations, such as hearing voices that aren’t there. In severe cases, someone with psychosis may be at risk of self-harm, or harming others.
About one in every 200 adult Australians will experience a psychotic illness each year[1]. A first episode of psychosis is most likely to happen in a person’s late teens or early adult years, with a gradual onset across more than six months in over 50% of cases[2].
Early Psychosis Youth Services Program
In response to such a high prevalence of psychosis in people, we commission headspace’s Early Psychosis Youth Services (EPYS) program to provide early intervention, responsive and recovery-focused care for young people who are at high risk of, or are experiencing, a first episode of psychosis.
As a result of the EPYS procurement process, we are pleased to announce that Uniting NSW.ACT has been appointed to continue as the provider of the EPYS program within the Western Sydney region for the next two years.
Since 2017, EPYS in Western Sydney has supported 1,964 young people through over 125,000 direct sessions of care.
To be eligible for an assessment, the patient must be aged 12–25 years and have experienced:
- Symptoms of psychosis
- A change in, or difficulty with, their everyday life in the last three months (for example, difficulty getting to school or work, receiving lower school grades, or having less interest in socialising)
Through the EPYS program, patients can access:
- Specialty-trained mental health professionals
- Support to help them get back to work or study
- Support with everyday life skills
- Creative therapy
- Social group activities with other young people
- Support services including mental health interventions, care planning, case management, medical support, peer support, crisis response, physical health interventions, group work, and functional recovery
Their families can also receive support, information and education about psychosis as a part of the program. This includes family meetings and group sessions to gain support from other families with a young person experiencing psychosis.
The Early Psychosis team in Western Sydney includes a highly skilled, multidisciplinary team made up of:
- Mental health clinicians
- Senior clinicians
- Psychologists
- Psychiatrists
- Medical officers
- Family counsellors
- Family mentors
- Vocational coordinators
- Peer support coaches
- Dietitians
- Exercise physiologists
How to Access the Early Psychosis Youth Services Program
To understand whether a young person may be experiencing psychosis and needs to be referred to the EPYS program, headspace has provided an early psychosis referral checklist for health professionals.
The EPYS program is available in the following Western Sydney locations:
- Phone: 1300 737 616
- Email: headspaceparramatta@uniting.org
- Phone: 1800 683 784
- Email: headspacemtdruitt@uniting.org
Resources for Health Professionals
Visit the Psychosis in Young People pathway in HealthPathways. It provides health professionals with clinical information about how to assess, manage and refer patients experiencing symptoms of psychosis. If you don’t have the HealthPathways login details, you can contact our HealthPathways team at healthpathways@wentwest.com.au or call 8811 7100.
headspace has developed a factsheet about psychosis, including information about symptoms, causes and treatment. Health professionals can send this to their patients to refer to.
For more information about psychosis and the EPYS program, please visit the headspace website.
3 August 2023
[1] healthdirect (2023), Psychosis. Available from: https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/psychosis
[2] HealthPathways (2022), Psychosis in Young People. Available from: https://westernsydney.communityhealthpathways.org/211662.htm