A new website developed by regional health authorities is bringing together services and tools from across B.C. to help families and young people experiencing psychosis access early assessment and treatment.
Now online at www.earlypsychosis.ca, the website "will be a benefit for all British Columbians to better understand the challenges experienced by those dealing with psychosis and those family members and friends supporting them," said Mary Morrison, Northern Health manager of youth services and eating disorders.
"We know that education is important, therefore the more public resources we have available the more people can gather credible information."
Users can find services available in the Vancouver Coastal, Fraser, Island, Interior and Northern health authorities, and can also access toolkits for dealing with psychosis, a family coping booklet, and information on relapse prevention and stress management, among others.
Downloads are available in a variety of languages including Punjabi, Urdu, Mandarin, Korean and German. In addition to information for families, clients and community supports like teachers and counsellors, the site also links to other mental health sites and personal stories.
Three per cent of people will experience a psychotic episode at some stage in their life, with the first episode most commonly occurring in adolescence or early adulthood. Psychosis is a serious condition where the brain has difficulty differentiating between fantasy and reality.
The site was developed by the B.C. Early Psychosis Intervention Advanced Practice Program.
