Course Description
Schizophrenia is a serious mental illness that can be devastating not only for those who suffer with the disorder, but also for their families, friends, and community. Strategies for early intervention are considered essential for improving outcomes and reducing costs for almost every chronic and disabling illness. Service system models have been developed in a number of countries, and these models demonstrate the benefits of early intervention for schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders. This content focuses on the most comprehensive and systematic program efforts in early intervention and incorporates case vignettes and video clips. The course is intended to inspire support for the development of early intervention programs for individuals with schizophrenia in the United States. To print a certificate of completion, the online posttest must be passed with a score of 80%.
Target Audience
This introductory course is intended for social workers and other behavioral health practitioners who wish to learn about early intervention and treatment for schizophrenia for purposes of clinical intervention, program design, or program administration.
Learning Objectives
After completing the course, the reader will be able to do the following:
- Identify and define recovery from schizophrenia and psychotic disorders.
- Identify and describe the context of community-based treatment of schizophrenia.
- Identify the poor outcomes associated with a long duration of untreated psychosis (DUP).
- Identify the rationale for early intervention strategies.
- Identify issues in developing early intervention programming in the United States.
- Identify the elements of early intervention methodologies developed internationally.