Managing transitions in care for young people with early psychosis

Changes in a young person’s care can be confusing, disruptive and may require extra practical support for the young person and their family. Perhaps related to these factors, transitions in care also represent a period of increased risk for young people with early psychosis, including risk of suicide and risk of disengagement and therefore relapse and associated decline in functioning.

How transitions in care are managed by services and clinicians will affect outcomes. Significant transitional periods in care include:

  • Discharge from an early psychosis service

  • Changes in care between clinical staff (e.g. case managers, medical staff)

  • Transition from acute (including inpatient) care to non-acute care.

This clinical practice point outlines some of the issues that arise at these key periods of transition in care and how to manage them.