Early Psychosis Intervention
EPIT are the adult early psychosis intervention team for Counties Manukau DHB. We are a comprehensive clinical service for young adults (16-30) who are experiencing psychotic symptoms for the first time.  We offer a youth friendly and engaging assessment process for those who might be experiencing the early and subtle signs of psychosis.  Those accepted into the service are offered follow-up for 2 years.

If we suspect that you are experiencing psychotic symptoms, we can then negotiate what sort of assistance you wish to receive. We will then develop a collaborative plan with you. During the initial stages, we may recommend regular contact every few days to ensure you receive an intensive service from the team, but for most contact at least once a week is usual.

The team is led by a consultant psychiatrist, with the support of clinical psychologists, registered psychiatric nurses, occupational therapist, social worker and peer support worker. We tend to work within a team approach, offering assistance from the different health professionals in the team to suit your needs. One team member will be assigned as your main contact person to coordinate the care you receive from the team, and your GP will be kept informed of your treatment.

Treatment options are tailored to meet individual needs and include medication, education about symptoms, psychological therapy, family meetings, support with practical issues such as housing and benefits, and assistance with education and work.

EPIT also works alongside primary healthcare providers, as well as the other community based mental health services to provide general and specialist knowledge and/or supervision in early psychosis intervention.

What is Psychosis, Drug-Induced Psychosis, Schizophrenia and Prodrome?
Psychosis is the description given to mental health experiences in which there is a loss of connection with reality. In the very early stages, it is difficult to detect and young people at risk of developing psychosis may present with a number of vague and unspecified signs and symptoms such as social withdrawal, poor concentration, feeling uneasy, suspiciousness, abstract speech, and generally a sense that "something is not quite right". 

It is important to assess these concerns in the context of a person's normal functioning, and actively seek help if there has been a change over the preceding months and years.  Anyone with a family history of mental illness seeking assistance should be referred to EPIT, as those experiencing psychosis may find it difficult to explain their concerns to others.  Please call to discuss how you or someone you know could get help from EPIT.

In the later stages, psychotic symptoms are more obvious and include hearing voices and other sensory experiences (“hallucinations”), ideas outside the usual range of everyday belief (“delusions”) and confused thinking. There are a number of early intervention websites with information about psychosis and the early intervention strategy, for example www.gethelpearly.ca and www.eppic.org.au.

Psychotic experiences can result from drug use, either the effects seen during the actual intake of substances (“intoxication”) or can be triggered by ongoing drug use and occur some time after use (“drug induced psychosis”). It is often difficult to separate out drug use from an emerging psychotic illness and a more comprehensive assessment is recommended in these cases.  Please call EPIT to discuss.

Schizophrenia is a serious mental disorder that affects about 1% of the general population. It is a complex disorder characterised by psychotic experiences (called “positive symptoms”) and a group of “negative symptoms” (withdrawal, decreased ability to feel pleasure, lack of energy, and flat affect, etc). The experiences seen during the gradual onset of schizophrenia are known as prodromal symptoms. Schizophrenia affects different people in different ways. Some people may experience only a few short episodes and then fully recover. For others it lasts throughout their lives and needs to be treated. It is important that schizophrenia is treated as soon as it is diagnosed by a psychiatrist to prevent long-term disability and loss of function.

We accept referrals from anyone.  Please call and discuss any concerns you have.

Patients are also formally referred to our team if their GP or local mental health team suspect that they may be experiencing untreated psychotic symptoms for the first time.

EPIT are not able to respond to members of the public or other health professionals requesting urgent assistance for new clients in crisis. Members of the public are encouraged to seek assistance from their GP or local mental health team in the first instance.

If referred to EPIT, you will be asked to attend an initial assessment with two members of the team, usually at our clinic in East Tamaki. It is often helpful to attend this interview with a supportive family member or friend, but you may prefer to attend by yourself. The interview may also take place in your home, in your GP's clinic, or at other locations of your preference.

It may take more than one visit with different members of the team to come to a good understanding of your difficulties, but at the end of the assessment process we will provide a summary of the assessment and our recommendations. For some, we may recommend follow-up from another service or recommend another course of action.

There is no cost for our service.

There is plenty of free visitor parking on site at Whirinaki.