Vinod Srihari, MD, professor of psychiatry, is guest editor for a special issue of the journal Schizophrenia Research.
The issue is titled “Learning Health Systems for First Episode Psychosis (FEP)” and includes contributions from 11 networks encompassing over 100 clinics across 19 U.S. states.
The issue includes writing led by Yale affiliates Laura Yoviene Sykes, PhD, assistant professor of psychiatry; Walter S. Mathis, MD, associate professor of psychiatry; and Sumeyra Tayfur, PhD, postdoctoral associate.
Srihari is director of the Program for Specialized Treatment Early in Psychosis (STEP). STEP is a collaborative program of the Connecticut Department of Mental Health & Addiction Services (DMHAS) and Yale Department of Psychiatry. It is staffed by an interdisciplinary team of mental health providers in different fields – psychology, psychiatry, nursing, and social work. This team seeks to provide comprehensive care for individuals who are early in the course of a psychotic illness to prevent symptoms from becoming disabling.
STEP in 2024, and in collaboration with DMHAS and the Department of Children and Families, launched the STEP Learning Collaborative, a Connecticut-wide system of care for recent onset schizophrenia. This is a statewide partnership across 13 public mental health agencies that together aim to provide rapid access to high quality care for recent onset schizophrenia spectrum disorders.