Mindmap Launches Statewide Campaign to Support Early Detection of First-episode Psychosis in Teens and Young Adults

Mindmap, the highly visible public education campaign that achieved successful early detection of first-episode psychosis in the greater New Haven area, will now scale across Connecticut.

The campaign will identify teens and young adults ages 16-35 who are early in the course of a schizophrenia spectrum disorder. They will be connected to one of a network of clinical sites that are part of Connecticut Department of Mental and Addiction Services (DMHAS)-funded or -operated Local Mental Health Authorities (LMHA), or a Connecticut Department of Children and Families (DCF)-affiliated clinic across the state, and that together constitute the STEP Learning Collaborative.

The campaign team includes five Early Detection Assessment Coordinators (EDAC) who will work with the collaborative to transform pathways to care for this vulnerable population. The STEP Learning Collaborative is directed by Laura Yoviene Sykes, PhD, assistant professor of psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine.

Those who call the Mindmap’s referral line, 203-200-0140, will receive a call back within one business day from the EDAC assigned to their region. Over one or more conversations, the EDAC will determine eligibility and connect callers to a clinic within the STEP learning collaborative.

“Treatment works, the earlier the better,” said Vinod Srihari, MD, professor of psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine and director of the STEP Program. “I encourage all community members to assist us in swiftly guiding individuals and families toward care."

The original Mindmap campaign launched in 2015 to much fanfare in the New Haven area. Its distinctive blue and yellow logo could be seen on the sides of buses and on billboards and movie screens. This four-year effort funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) concluded in January 2019 and was able to halve the overall duration of untreated psychosis in its 10-town catchment area.

The results of this first successful reduction of community level Duration of Untreated Psychosis (DUP) have been published and have inspired similar efforts in the U.S. and Europe.

Psychosis can present differently for everyone. However, at its core it involves difficulty distinguishing what’s real from what is not real. Common experiences include:

• Seeing things that others don’t
• Hearing things that others don’t
• Feeling suspicious or paranoid
• Belief in special powers or abilities
• Confused thinking or speech
• Withdrawing from friends, family, and usual activities
• Recognizing patterns or signs in random occurrences
• Disorganized behaviors in response to these symptoms

Mindmap’s services target all residents of Connecticut between the ages of 16 and 35 who have recently experienced psychosis symptoms or episodes of psychosis.

The campaign aims to empower anyone who can help affected individuals navigate to care. Messages on mass and social media channels will provide education about how to identify illness but more specifically encourage calls to the referral line so Mindmap staff can work with callers to facilitate rapid and humane access to care.

The campaign will aim to reach peers, families, educators, youth group leaders, college counselors, community and inpatient clinicians, law enforcement, first responders, nonprofit staff and board members, advocacy groups, and any others who can participate in transforming pathways to care for this vulnerable population.

The statewide expansion of Mindmap was marked by a virtual kick-off event on February 1, which was attended by 150 providers and members of the STEP Learning Collaborative network. Yoviene Sykes outlined the initiative and highlighted the ongoing collaboration of those within the network.

“We are excited about this partnership with the LMHAs, allowing us the opportunity to build upon the existing infrastructure and associated expertise that our state’s workforce already has, to move toward our shared goal of connecting every young person in Connecticut experiencing first episode psychosis to care as quickly as possible,” she said.

Leadership from DMHAS and DCF also spoke to show their support of the joint initiative. DMHAS Commissioner Nancy Navaretta discussed what Mindmap could mean for Connecticut.

“Simply stated, the potential we have here could have a tremendous impact on wellness for the next generation and future generations of Connecticut residents,” she said.

DCF Commissioner Jodi Hill-Lilly called upon DCF-affiliated providers to engage with the campaign. “We encourage our network of outpatient psychiatric clinics to develop connections to the Mindmap EDAC network, and we will support them in playing an active role to extend the reach of this initiative across DCF’s service system,” she said.

People may view the launch recording here.

Mindmap’s marketing and branding will again be headed by the New Haven firm Red Rock and its founder and CEO, Glen McDermott.

Mindmap and the STEP Learning Collaborative are grateful for the support and guidance of DMHAS and DCF. The STEP Program is based within the Connecticut Mental Health Center (CMHC) which is a public-academic collaboration between DMHAS and Yale’s Department of Psychiatry.

To learn more please visit the Mindmap website.