[Utilization of healthcare services by young adults with first psychotic episodes at the FRITZ am Urban in Berlin considering the migration background].

Abstract

Background: In Germany, there are hardly any studies that investigated the care pathways in the early course of psychosis and the duration of untreated psychosis (DUP) and took the migration background into account.

Objective: The study examined whether young adults with (PwM) and without a migration background (PoM) who had a first psychotic episode or first contact with the psychiatric care system within the last 5 years differ in their utilization of care services and DUP.

Material and methods: The data collection and post hoc analyses were carried out as a part of a cohort study (84 inpatients) at the Early Intervention and Therapy Center (FRITZ) in Berlin.

Results: The number of PwM (n = 38) who experienced a first psychotic episode did not significantly differ from the comparison group (PoM, n = 46) in the utilization of healthcare services (p = 0.22). Neither the time until seeking help from the first service nor the number of contacts with healthcare services and DUP significantly differed between PwM and Pom. The PwM were predominantly young adults with a good education background who grew up in Germany.

Discussion: Users sought help at FRITZ relatively quickly, independent of their migration background, which supports further implementation of specialized early detection and intervention services in Germany. The results could be attributed to the selection of the study population.

Conclusion: Further studies are needed that address people with lower education and low language skills. The early detection programs and awareness campaigns should be adapted to this target group.