Psychosis-spectrum screening among adolescents admitted to a psychiatric inpatient unit
Poster B118, Tuesday, October%209, 11:30%20am%20-%201:00%20pm, Essex%20Ballroom
Elizabeth Thompson1, Jennifer Wolff1, Anthony Spirito1; 1Alpert Medical School of Brown University
Identification of youth in the early stages of psychosis is critically important, as early intervention is linked to better long-term outcomes and untreated psychosis is associated with poor prognostic factors. Given that many individuals with psychosis report receiving services for a range of psychopathology during adolescence and prior to the onset of full-threshold psychosis, risk screening within pediatric mental health settings is an important step in identifying at-risk youth as early as possible. This study investigated two approaches to psychosis-spectrum screening among psychiatrically hospitalized adolescents. The screening methods evaluated include: 1) the PRIME, a measure of psychosis-risk symptom severity, and 2) the Thought Problems scale of the ASEBA Youth Self-Report (YSR) form, a scale designed to measure unsafe and strange thinking linked to multiple psychiatric disorders, including psychosis. Screening scores were compared to interview-based assessment within two samples: 1) a standard intake sample (n = 300) that used the Childhood Inventory of Psychiatric Syndromes to evaluate psychotic disorders, and 2) a pilot sample (n = 50) of youth with positive PRIME screens who were further assessed using the Structured Interview for Psychosis-risk Syndromes to evaluate psychosis-risk and full-threshold disorders. Results suggest that within this acute setting, there is a need for psychosis-spectrum evaluation. The PRIME and Thought Problems scale may be valid screens for psychosis symptomatology, as both screens statistically predicted symptom scores and diagnoses. Results support the use of psychosis-spectrum screening methods on adolescent inpatient units, a practice that could facilitate monitoring and treatment for early psychosis symptoms.
Topic Area: Ultra High Risk / Prodromal Research