Early Treatment Is Crucial for Psychosis – Why Is It So Hard to Get?

Each year in the United States, roughly 100,000 young adults experience a psychotic episode including hearing voices or hallucinations. Treating those episodes early on can prevent some of the worst outcomes of mental illness such as homelessness or not being able to hold down a job. The National Institute of Mental Health has outlined what experts call a “gold standard” for early treatment of psychosis, but access to that care is often unavailable or not covered by insurance. We talk about why it’s so hard for psychosis patients to receive the care they need and what we can do about it.