Health Professionals are continually striving to improve services for people with mental health difficulties and their families. A new service, DELTA, has been established in South East Dublin, Ireland working to improve outcomes for people who experience psychosis for the first time and their families. In 2006 this service will expand to catchment areas along the coast towards Dublin City and also down to Arklow in Co. Wicklow. This expanded service is called DETECT.
DELTA stands for Detection, Education and Local Team Assessment and began operating in February 2005. It can take up to two years for people with psychosis to receive effective treatment. The DELTA Project seeks to address this and reduce the amount of time a person experiencing their first episode of psychosis spends unwell without treatment. As the name suggests, the DELTA Project has two components, education and assessment.
Firstly, DELTA will provide rapid, holistic assessments to those experiencing their first episode of psychosis and their families. Secondly, we will provide education and information about psychosis, what it is, how to recognise it and how to get help. Our aim is to reach as many people as possible but we will also be delivering information and education to targeted audiences that either deal with people with psychosis or that are likely to be affected by psychosis.
This website is part of the educational campaign and is intended as a source of information for public and professional interest. The information provided within should be used sensitively and carefully, it is not for diagnostic purposes. If you are concerned for your own or a family member's health the message that we hope you remember is:
Psychosis is a treatable condition and the earlier a person receives treatment the better. Please see your GP who will know how to help.
Information on Ireland's first Early Intervention for psychosis service is available at www.detect.ie