The vast majority of mental illness, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and substance abuse, have their onset in adolescence and early adulthood. Paradoxically, psychiatric interventions often take place later in the course of illness, at a time when the illness becomes more refractory to treatment. The UAB Department of Psychiatry is committed to providing early intervention programs to our adolescents and young adults.
The UAB Department of Psychiatry has demonstrated its commitment to the mental care of children and adolescents through its 2-year accredited Child and Adolescent (C&A) Fellowship Program, one of only 2 in the state of Alabama. Each year, our C&A fellowship program graduates up to four C&A psychiatrists. While our fellowship typically attracts trainees from various states, a large number of our trainees stay in Alabama after completion of the fellowship, thus increasing access to specialty care in our state.
For more than 10 years, the UAB Department of Psychiatry has operated a First Episode Psychosis outpatient clinic where patients in the early stage of a psychosis spectrum disorders can receive specialized care provided by a team of C&A and adult psychiatrists, psychologists and social workers. Since the implementation of this clinic, we estimate that we have provided care for more than 300 patients with early psychosis. Early interventions programs in psychosis that have grown in the US, Western Europe and Australia starting in the 1990 have demonstrated the benefit of early intervention programs. However, such programs are still not established for other mental illness, such as mood disorders, anxiety, and substance use disorders.
The Department of Psychiatry plans to fill this gap with the help of our dedicated psychiatrists, psychologist, and fellows by extending early interventions to those who present with recent onset anxiety and mood disorders.