New research offers promising new treatment for psychosis

A new, landmark study calls into question the need and effectiveness of treating schizophrenia with strong doses of anti-psychotic drugs. The study, led by U of M and other university researchers across the U.S., found that lower doses of drugs, in tandem with heavier emphases on individual resiliency programs, show stronger results over a two-year period than current drug-centric approaches, without the debilitating medication side-effects.

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Meyer-Kalos

Dr. Piper Meyer-Kalos, executive director of the U of M Center for Chemical and Mental Health in the School of Social Work, developed the individual resiliency program portion of the treatment research. This one-on-one treatment approach helps people get back to their lives post-schizophrenic episode, building back decision-making capabilities, and strengthening life-coping skills.

Funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, the study was recently published in the American Journal of Psychiatry.

“This study, the largest of its kind in the U.S., emphasized the importance of treatment for early psychosis,” said Meyer-Kalos. “What is so exciting is that we are now beginning to see the impact from that investment. What the results of the study show is that when treatment includes a multi-disciplinary team-based approach, in addition to medication, individuals with schizophrenia have a better prognosis and quality of life.”

Since 2009, Meyer-Kalos has been part of the psychosocial development team of the study, called the Recovery After Initial Schizophrenia Episode (RAISE) project, and has co-led the individual therapy component (Individual Resiliency Training) of that project. Meyer-Kalos’s current research projects also include evaluation of the integrated treatment and training for mental health and substance abuse and chronic health problems in Minnesota.

The New York TimesWashington Post, and other national outlets have covered the groundbreaking research. Also see the story in MinnPost.