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We provide specialist care for people aged between 14 and 65 who may be experiencing early signs of psychosis for the first time.
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How we can help
How we can help
Getting help early is important. The earlier you are treated for psychosis, the quicker you can get back to your normal life.
Our specialist teams for early psychosis (STEP) will work with you to understand what you are experiencing and assess your symptoms and needs.
We will work with you and your family to create a care plan and provide ongoing treatment and care to support your recovery.
We can also support you to take up employment, education and volunteering opportunities in your local community.
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How to get help
How to get help
If you are concerned about yourself or someone you know you can talk to your GP or someone you trust.
You can also self-refer to us by contacting your local STEP team.
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West Pilton Health and Wellbeing Clinic
Youings Drive
Barnstaple
EX31 1QL
01271 443255 -
St John's Court
St John's Road
Exmouth
EX8 4DD
01395 220 100 -
Estuary House
Collett Way
Brunel Industrial Estate
Newton Abbot
TQ12 4PH
01626 203 519
What is psychosis?
Psychosis is most likely to occur in young adults and is quite common. About three in every 100 people will experience a psychotic episode - which makes it more common than diabetes in young people. Most make a full recovery from the experience.
Early psychosis can be difficult to identify. Symptoms can be vague at times and everyone's experience is different.
Many life events can bring about stress, such as relationship changes or work / college pressures. These can lead to confusing emotions and experiences:
- Difficulty in concentrating or dealing with things at work or college
- Some sense of paranoia, feeling tense or threatened
- Changes in mood, sometimes being unpredictable or out of sync with what's happening around you
- Losing interest in things that you previously enjoyed
- You may think that other people are watching you or talking about you
- You may feel suspicious, scared or angry
- You may see or hear things which appear very real to you, but that other people don't notice
- You might feel that others don't understand what is happening to you and feel that you want to spend more time alone
- You may feel that there are particular messages being given to you from your surroundings
- People close to you, your friends and family, may start to comment that you have been acting strangely or saying odd things
- You may feel very confused
- You may have tried to ignore these experiences or tried to make sense of them.
In psychosis a person may experience some loss of contact with reality. Usually there are gradual changes in how a person thinks, feels and acts in their daily lives, and with others.
Street drugs and alcohol often make these experiences worse.
Having things checked out early generally means a better outlook for the individual with support and understanding for themselves and those close to them.
As a friend or a relative you may feel very emotional and be unsure of what to do next. Nobody is to blame for psychosis and there is no reason to feel ashamed. This can happen to anyone.
It is not unusual to be reluctant to get help, but the sooner you get help the sooner you can recover.
For family, friends and carers
When a person experiences psychosis it can be confusing and stressful for family members, often putting a strain on everyone's relationship.
We know that families can find it hard to understand what is going on and often don't know how to help.
We regularly work with the families of people who have experienced psychosis. Family intervention is a particular way of working and is offered alongside this routine work, when we agree that it might be helpful.
Research has shown that if we work with the person experiencing psychosis together with their wider networks it can help everyone to cope, lower feelings of stress and help the person experiencing psychosis to get better and stay well.
Although called family intervention anyone who is in regular contact with the person experiencing psychosis can be invited to attend.
We understand that every person and family is different, so we tailor our support to fit your needs.
Please speak to us if you would like to receive this support.