Keeping the Body in Mind over Time: Mapping Experiences of Young People with Psychosis
Poster B94, Friday, October 21, 11:30 am - 1:00 pm, Le Baron
Katherine Boydell1,2,3, Jackie Curtis2,4, Adele de Jager1, Megan Kalucy2,4, George Khut2, Julia Lappin2,4, Simon Rosenbaum1,2,4, Anna Tewson1, Andrew Watkins5; 1Black Dog Institute, 2University of New South Wales, 3University of Toronto, 4The Bondi Centre, 5South East Sydney Local Health District
Keeping the Body in Mind (KBIM) is an intensive 12-week, strength-based multidisciplinary lifestyle intervention delivered at the initiation of anti-psychotic treatment for young people experiencing first episode psychosis. The KBIM lifestyle intervention program was found to be highly acceptable to program participants and the perceived program benefits moved beyond improved physical health outcomes to a broad range of psychosocial benefits (Curtis et al., 2015). At two years post intervention, data show that improved physical outcomes are maintained; consequently, it is critical to explore the perspectives of participants post-intervention regarding the long-term impact of the program on their holistic health, including but not limited to issues of physical health, mental health, and psychosocial function. This presentation describes the experiences of young people involved in a 12-week intensive lifestyle program (KBIM) 2-years post intervention and the process of engaging them in body mapping (de Jager et al, 2016) to document a visual story of how involvement in KBIM impacts their bodies, mental and physical health, relationships and community.
Topic Area: Psychosocial Interventions