What is EDIPPP?

The Early Detection and Intervention for the Prevention of Psychosis Program (EDIPPP) is a research and treatment program focused on gathering the evidence needed to better meet the mental health needs of adolescents and young adults at risk for severe mental illness.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation officially launched EDIPPP in April 2007 and awarded four-year grants to five sites across the country. Using a combination of evidence-based pharmacologic and psychosocial interventions, these sites treat the early warning signs of serious mental illness (schizophrenia, bipolar disorder with psychosis, and major depression with psychosis) in people ages 12 to 25 as part of a rigorous research program. The main components of the program include:

• The early identification of young people at risk for or showing early signs of psychosis
• The reduction of barriers to treatment, in particular, the reduction of stigma about mental illness and education to counter false beliefs about psychosis
• The application of clinical service to engage and treat young people who are at risk, along with their families
• Ongoing research that monitors whether psychotic symptoms progress

In essence, EDIPPP identifies and treats young people experiencing prodromal (early) indicators that increase their risk of developing serious mental illness. It is able to do this because of two major changes in the mental health field:

• The advent of clear premorbid indicators for the likely onset of psychosis
• The development of effective psychosocial and drug treatments that can be tailored and used at exposure/dosage levels that do not subject young persons and their families to unacceptable risks

Another important part of the EDIPPP approach is to develop partnerships with key community groups – schools, community agencies, faith-based groups, families, and others – that can contribute to building effective, sustainable early detection and referral strategies.