Don’t blame psychosis, blame the lack of services: a message for early intervention from the Greek standard care model

BACKGROUND: Early Intervention Services (EIS) aim to reduce relapse rates and achieve better treatment and functional outcomes for first episode psychosis (FEP) patients. Existing models of services in Greece are still treatment as usual (TAU), however a reform of mental health services is underway and initial steps have been taken to shift standard care towards EIS. The purpose of the study is to address therapeutic gaps by exploring service engagement and relapse rates in the current standard care model for psychosis. METHODS: We examined follow-up and relapse rates one year after initial treatment contact in the first longitudinal FEP study conducted in Greece. 225 patients were enrolled between 2015–2020. Sociodemographic, clinical and functional characteristics were assessed in association with follow-up and relapse rates. RESULTS: Within a TAU follow-up setting, one year attrition rates were high. Only 87 patients (38,7%) retained contact with services after one year and within this time frame, 19 of them (21,8%) experienced a severe relapse requiring rehospitalization. Demographic, clinical and functional contributors failed to predict service engagement and relapse rates, with the exception of treatment adherence. CONCLUSION: Both follow-up and one-year rehospitalization rates in our FEP sample, highlight the need for the implementation of early intervention services, that will aim at engagement maximization and relapse prevention. These indexes also provide a benchmark against which future early intervention services for psychosis in Greece will have to demonstrate superior efficacy.