Clinician-rated and self-reported psychotic-like experiences in individuals accessing a specialist Youth Mental Health Service.

AIM

The prevalence of psychotic-like experiences (PLEs) was explored in a sample of 14- to 25-year-olds with non-psychotic mental health difficulties. Associations between PLEs, psychopathology, functioning, trauma history, and pathways to care were examined.

METHODS

Data were collected for 202 young people. Clinicians rated PLEs using the Primary Care Checklist (PCC) and functioning using Global Assessment Scales. Eighty-three young people completed self-report assessments of PLEs using the Prodromal Questionnaire (PQ-16) and measures of social anxiety, depression, trauma history, and pathways to care.

RESULTS

There was a high prevalence of PLEs in the sample. The prevalence of PLEs was higher when young people self-rated their experiences. Endorsement frequencies for PLEs ranged from 3.5 to 24% on the PCC and 22 to 70% on the PQ-16. Higher scores on the PQ-16 were associated with more pathways into care and greater exposure to traumatic life events.

CONCLUSIONS

PLEs are common in young people with non-psychotic mental health difficulties and may reflect increased severity and complexity of mental health difficulties. Routine screening and further assessment of PLEs are important in understanding and responding to such experiences. Screening should include self-rating of PLEs as well as clinician-rated scales.

PRACTITIONER POINTS

Clinical Implications Psychotic-like experiences are common in young people with severe non-psychotic mental health problems and should be routinely screened in mental health services. Psychotic-like experiences were found to be more prevalent when using a self-report screening tool compared to a clinician-rated measure. The presence of psychotic-like experiences may reflect more severe and complex mental health problems and may also cause delays in young people accessing the right kind of support. ;Limitations This study only assessed the presence or absence of psychotic-like experiences. Further studies should use more detailed assessments to understand more about the nature of such experiences and how they are appraised and responded to. This study is cross-sectional, and therefore, the direction of the relationships between psychotic-like experiences and depression, anxiety, functioning, and trauma cannot be specified. Longitudinal studies are needed to examine the impact of psychotic-like experiences on long-term outcomes.