What is the aim of the Outlook?

Outlook is the initial stage of the Psygrid project. It involves the collection of a broad range of representative data on first-episode psychosis. This data is stored on the Psygrid database, so that research can be carried out using it in the future. This research is necessary because many people who make contact with mental health services suffer from distressing symptoms e.g. hearing voices or being troubled by unusual thoughts. This project is trying to find out more about what causes these problems.  We also wish to understand better how people get in touch with and use the health care system. We want to look what effect these symptoms have on the person and what treatments are helpful.

What are the possible benefits of taking part?

We hope that the information will help us to gain a better understanding of mental health distress and enable us to plan ways of helping people who suffer from mental health problems.  This may help us to provide better services in the future. Participants have reported benefits from taking part in the study, such as having the opportunity to talk about their experiences and to be listened to. Taking part can also benefit the participant indirectly, as their clinical care can be informed by assessment results (this is only the case if the participant consents to their clinical team having access to their data).