ABSTRACT
Identifying Early Warning Signs of psychosis is now well established in clinical practice. We describe how we have adapted existing methodologies to meet the needs of those with complex mental health and behavioural needs to both ameliorate relapse and risk.
We describe in detail our method for devising EWS-R and illustrate this with case material. Having a clear operationally defined target behaviour agreed upon from the beginning is key. As with all formulations, early signs need to be regularly reviewed and updated with additional information incorporated as it emerges.
Our approach is flexible and aimed at meeting the case-specific and changing needs of the service user. However, it is only likely to be useful if utilised to implement a care plan that is consistently delivered. Our methodology can help teams think about future placements and situations and how the individual can manage these safely. Ultimately, we aim to enable service users to be able to recognise and manage their own early warning signs.
