Early Intervention in Psychosis: A Zimbabwean Pilot

Early Intervention in Psychosis (EIP) is a research based concept of a specialist, phase-based service for young adults experiencing psychosis for the first time. It was initiated in Australia in 19971 and has since been... [ view full abstract ]

Early Intervention in Psychosis (EIP) is a research based concept of a specialist, phase-based service for young adults experiencing psychosis for the first time. It was initiated in Australia in 1997¹ and has since been implemented across the globe in parts of Asia, Europe, America and Australasia. It is so highly valued that it’s existence is part of the national guidance for mental health in the UK, where every geographical area will have access to some form of an Early Intervention in Psychosis Service. However, it has not been implemented in Africa until now². An Early Intervention in Psychosis nurse from Nottingham, UK, has partnered with the Zimbabwe National Association for Mental Health (ZIMNAMH), a registered mental health charity to initiate and implement the Early Intervention in Psychosis Model as a pilot in 3 geographical areas in and around the capital city, Harare.

 Mental health resources are scarce due to limited funding³, There are 0.008 psychiatrists and 0.28 psychiatric nurses per 10,000 of the population in Zimbabwe⁴. This is compared to 1.46 psychiatrists and 6.7 psychiatric nurses in the UK⁴. There are no community services in existence and there is an embedded traditional belief system that ascertains mental ill-health to witchcraft, or punishments from ancestral spirits for misdeeds⁵. This, in turn, means that the first port of call is often traditional or faith healers which means that early detection and treatment is very difficult through conventional mental health services.

This paper will discuss and explore the challenges, triumphs and adaptations necessary to implement an effective Early Intervention in Psychosis programme in Zimbabwe.