WELCOME
SCOPE vision is to see scalable interventions developed and implemented to achieve early detection and optimal recovery of people with psychosis in sub-Saharan Africa, grounded in local evidence and context and anchored in the priorities of people with lived experience of psychosis
Goals
I
To determine the rate of new cases of psychosis in rural and urban settings in Ethiopia; identify possible risk factors for onset; and characterise needs of people with psychosis and factors that affect early course and outcome; and
II
Use this evidence to co-develop bottom-up innovations to improve early detection and optimise recovery of people with psychosis that are applicable to rural, urban and homeless populations in Ethiopia, with potential generalisability to other low- and middle-income countries.
Our work will include development of a detection strategy and exploration of perspectives of people with lived experience of psychosis on the concept of recovery and patterns of family communication. We will then conduct an epidemiological study to identify people with untreated psychosis in rural districts in south-central Ethiopia, sub-cities of Addis Ababa, and people with current or recent experience of homelessness. We will assess mental and physical health, social and economic status, and follow up participants for one year. We will work with key stakeholders, including people with lived experience of psychosis, to incorporate emerging evidence into development of interventions to improve early detection and recovery. Finally, we will pilot test interventions, develop strategies to overcome implementation challenges and identify key intervention components to inform adaptation for other contexts.
Project Summary
A major barrier to innovation in treatment and care for people with psychosis in low-income countries is the near-total absence of rigorous epidemiological research into the aetiology, presentation, social context, associated physical health conditions and early course of psychosis. In SCOPE, we will address this by producing high quality, contextual evidence and use this to design innovations in detection and treatment to improve the lives of people living with psychosis in a low-income country.