Exploring Young Peoples' Constructions of a FEP
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Exploring Young Peoples’ Constructions of a First Episode of Psychosis
IRAS ID
174957
Contact name
Samantha Harris
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of East London
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 2 months, 23 days
Research summary
The term ‘psychosis’ is often used as an umbrella term for changes in the way a person sees, thinks, or understands their world, typically perceived as ‘unusual’ or ‘not reflecting reality’ by others (British Psychological Society [BPS], 2000). Experiencing psychosis for the first time can be a devastating event for young people and their social networks (Patel and Upthegrove, 2009). However, research has highlighted that the ‘unusual experiences’ often associated with psychosis vary greatly across individuals (Banarjee, 2012). Moreover, the explanations people attribute to these experiences, can have important implications for levels of distress, perceived stigma, sense of self, help seeking behaviours and recovery (Freeman et al., 2012; Perry, Taylor & Shaw, 2007; Watson et al., 2008).
Mental health services such as Early Intervention in Psychosis (EIP) services aim to provide a holistic, non-stigmatising approach for young people experiencing psychosis. However, it is unclear what conceptualisations of psychosis are offered by EIP services and they have been criticised for adopting a predominantly bio-medical approach(Reeves, 2002).
Additionally, the majority of research into ‘First Episode of Psychosis’ (FEP) and EIP services has been quantitative in nature, neglecting context, and focusing on biological markers, medication adherence and ‘symptom’ reduction (Fond et al., 2015; Lecomte et al., 2008).
While, increasing attention has been paid to the subjective experiences of meaning-making in FEP, little is known about how accessing an EIP service may impact upon how young people explain and make sense of psychosis. Through the use of interviews, the proposed study will explore the culturally available discourses drawn upon by young people accessing EIP services and the consequences of these for young peoples' identity and engagement with services. It is hoped that this research will contribute to the understanding of alternative empowering discourses for young people and the services that work with them.
REC name
London - London Bridge Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/LO/1445
Date of REC Opinion
26 Oct 2015
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion