Service : Early Intervention in Psychosis and Mania Service for children and young people

Service overview

We can help if you're a young people up to the age of 18, and living with psychosis or mania, or showing early signs of developing psychosis.

Psychosis is a word use to describe a range of experiences. You may be seeing or hearing things that aren't there, feeling very worried or scared, or having trouble thinking clearly.

If you’re experiencing any of these symptoms, and they’re making everyday life difficult or upsetting, we can help by talking with you and finding out what support you need.

We're known as the Intervention in Psychosis and Mania team, or EIP.

Accessing our service

You can refer yourself to our service using our online form.

You can also ask a family member or your doctor.

We’ll then call you to talk about your referral.

If we can’t reach you by phone, we’ll send you a text, email or letter.

We’ll then arrange a face-to-face appointment within 14 days. You can choose to meet at home or at your nearest community health service base.

Make a referral

Suspected psychosis

You may be able to get help from our team if you have suspected psychosis, because:

you’re seeing or hearing things that others don’t (known as hallucinations), and it’s upsetting you
you’re finding it hard to do things at school, at home, or with friends
you’re having unusual thoughts (sometimes called disordered thinking) that are making it harder for you to learn at school or get along with others
you’re feeling confused or having trouble concentrating

At risk of developing psychosis

You may be able to get help from our team if you are:

feeling distressed
avoiding things you used to enjoy, like seeing friends, for at least a month

It may be that you also have other symptoms, such as:

mild but upsetting psychotic thoughts or feelings.
brief but unusual psychotic feelings, that went away on their own.
a close family member, like a parent or sibling, has had psychosis.

Suspected mania or bipolar

You may be able to get help from our team if you are:

seeing or hearing things that others don’t, known as hallucinations, and it’s upsetting you
having strong mood changes, like feeling very sad or excited, which can make you act differently than usual
feeling very anxious or having trouble sleeping

Preparing for an assessment

Your assessment appointment may take one to two hours. You’re welcome to bring a family member or carer with you for support.

You don’t need to bring anything special, but it can help to bring a list of your medicines.

You may be seen by another Children and Young People’s service. After your appointment, you will either be offered support from us for up to three years or until you turn 18.

We may send you some questionnaires before or during the assessment, to help us understand what's going on.

We can help guide you to another service if we think they are better suited to your needs.

Support from our team

We'll assign a named worked from our team, which could include:

Psychiatrists, who can discuss medication for mental health support
Psychologists, who can talk with you about mental health conditions
Pharmacists, who can talk with you about medication
Mental health nurses, who can help you through recovery and improve your wellbeing
Social workers, who can help you with different social problems either caused by, or made worse because of, your mental health
Employment/education specialists, who can help with any kind of reasonable adjustment with your teacher or employer
Child and family workers, who can give advice on changes in your home

Treatment

We'll offer the right treatment for you, which could include:

Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT)
Family intervention
Carers support and education
Employment support
Medication and physical health screening and support

Managing your health

Your e-Health Passport

Your e-Health Passport lets us know what's important to you - from your preferred name and pronouns to how you'd like us to support you and communicate with you.

Learn more