The Taiwan National Coordinated Early Psychosis Intervention Service: Comprehensive Overview and Early Outcomes

Objective

To provide an overview of Taiwan's first national Coordinated Early Psychosis Intervention Service (CEPIS), analyse baseline characteristics of first-episode psychosis (FEP) and at-risk mental state (ARMS) participants, and assess 6-month clinical outcomes.

Methods

This study analysed data from nationwide 172 participants enrolled in CEPIS between March and September 2024. Baseline assessments included socio-demographic characteristics and clinical measures: the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), Clinical Global Impression-Severity (CGI-S) and Personal and Social Performance (PSP) scale. Follow-up assessments were completed for 54 participants at 6 months.

Results

FEP participants were significantly older than ARMS participants (20.24 ± 6.19 vs. 17.77 ± 4.79 years, p = 0.004). Referral patterns differed significantly (p = 0.007), with more FEP participants referred through hospitals and more ARMS participants referred through schools. At baseline, FEP participants had higher PANSS scores (p = 0.004), but similar CGI-S and PSP scores. Six-month follow-up showed significant improvements in PANSS (p < 0.001), CGI-S (p = 0.020) and PSP scores (p = 0.033).

Conclusions

This study demonstrates the initial implementation of CEPIS in Taiwan, with preliminary clinical improvements observed over 6 months. The findings also highlight the importance of diverse referral pathways and characteristics in both ARMS and FEP populations and suggest the need for longer-term follow-up studies.