Psychosocial Management of First-Episode Psychosis and Schizophrenia: Synopsis of the US Department of Veterans Affairs and US Department of Defense Clinical Practice Guidelines

Background Despite the large number of people treated for first-episode psychosis and schizophrenia within the Departments of Defense (DOD) and Veterans Affairs (VA), neither the DOD nor VA had established formal recommendations for the treatment of these conditions. This gap led Congress to require the development of clinical practice guidelines (CPG) for the treatment of schizophrenia. This paper reports on the psychosocial and rehabilitative recommendations presented in the VA/DOD Clinical Practice Guidelines for Management of First-Episode Psychosis and Schizophrenia. Study Design The CPG was developed by an interdisciplinary panel of mental health and primary care providers from DOD and VA following methods specified by the VA/DOD Evidence-Based Practice Guideline Work Group. The panel formulated key questions and identified critical outcomes that guided a comprehensive search of the literature published from November 2011 to December 2021. The evidence considered was limited to systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and randomized clinical trials. Recommendations were based on the evaluation of the evidence using Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) methods. Study Results The review process produced 4 psychosocial/rehabilitative treatment recommendations for first-episode psychosis (early intervention services, family interventions, individual placement and support (IPS), and cognitive behavioral therapy for psychosis) and 11 recommendations for schizophrenia (family and caregiver services, assertive community treatment, IPS, smoking cessation, skills training, cognitive training, psychotherapies, aerobic exercise, yoga, weight management, and telephone-based care management). Conclusions The VA/DOD CPG reflects the expansion of treatments for first-episode psychosis and schizophrenia and highlights the challenges in developing clinical practice guidelines.