ARMS in IAPT
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Adapting primary care services to meet the needs of people with early signs of psychosis: A feasibility study.
IRAS ID
290648
Contact name
Katherine Newman Taylor
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Southampton
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 6 months, 30 days
Research summary
Many people who develop psychosis describe mild or brief symptoms before becoming unwell (e.g., unusual beliefs and perceptions). Usually, these people first seek help for anxiety or depression and do not mention their unusual experiences. This can delay access to the treatments they need. Some people with these experiences go on to develop psychosis and many wait years to access treatment, which results in more severe symptoms and higher healthcare costs.
Talking therapies for anxiety and depression are delivered by NHS ‘Improving Access to Psychological Therapies’ (IAPT) services. Up to a third of people referred to IAPT have unusual experiences (but may not report them). These individuals usually do not meet criteria for ‘secondary care’ services designed for people with severe and enduring mental health problems. IAPT services are designed for people with anxiety and depression, and do not routinely take account of unusual experiences. If people do disclose their unusual experiences, they may be subject to multiple referrals between services, which is unhelpful to the person and costly to the NHS.
Mental health teams expect a significant increase in demand following Covid-19, including from people with unusual experiences. This will place considerable pressure on services. We need to use NHS resources flexibly and effectively.
The current study will assess (1) the use of measures to identify and assess individuals who have unusual experiences referred to IAPT, (2) whether we can offer psychological therapy from a qualified therapist with additional training to take account of unusual experiences, and (3) whether this is beneficial. We will ask participants to complete outcome measures and tell us about their experience of the adapted therapy. If the study shows that the adapted therapy is acceptable and may be beneficial, we will run a controlled trial to assess the impact in more detail.REC name
North East - Newcastle & North Tyneside 1 Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
21/NE/0206
Date of REC Opinion
22 Dec 2021
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion