First MSc in Early Intervention in Psychosis
King’s College London’s Institute of Psychiatry has launched the world’s first post-graduate course on early intervention in psychosis.
Early intervention in psychosis is a clinical approach which focuses on the detection and management of early symptoms. It is now recognised as effective in reducing the long term impact of psychotic disorders and is becoming an integral part of mental health services worldwide.
In the UK, The Mental Health Policy Implementation Guide requires mental health services to be able to provide specialised early intervention in order to reduce the duration of untreated psychosis and improve long term outcome.
Outside the UK, a number of countries are introducing similar guidelines and are faced with increasing demand for theoretical and practical expertise in this area.
Professor Susan Lea, Vice-Dean for Education at King’s Institute of Psychiatry says: “We’re proud to offer the first MSc in this important field. The course will capitalize on the pioneering work and renowned expertise of clinical academics in early intervention in psychosis at the IoP and include a clinical attachment in a world-class early intervention service.”
Dr Andrea Mechelli, Programme Director for the new MSc in Early Intervention in Psychosis at King’s Institute of Psychiatry, says: “Despite the clear need for experts in early intervention, specialist training in this area remains sparse and it can be difficult for mental health services to recruit clinicians with the required expertise. We expect that this MSc will help address this challenge by providing world-class specialised training to mental health professionals and non-clinical academics interested in this area.”
The course will use a multidisciplinary approach, capitalizing on the most recent findings from a range of clinical and non-clinical disciplines including psychiatry, psychology, genetics, neuroscience, epidemiology and biostatistics.
The course will combine classroom teaching from world-experts in the field with a clinical placement in an early intervention service within the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust.
More information about the MSc in Early Intervention in Psychosis can be found on the King's online prospectus.
For further information about post-graduate courses at the Institute of Psychiatry, please see our Study pages
For further information, please contact Seil Collins, Press Officer, King’s College London, Institute of Psychiatry. Email: seil.collins@kcl.ac.uk or tel: (+44) 0207 848 5377