Community Mental Health Affiliates Partners with Mindmap

Community Mental Health Affiliates, Inc. (CMHA) is proud to partner with Mindmap, a statewide early detection campaign that launched this past February. Mindmap aims to enable rapid treatment of recent-onset psychotic disorders in teens and young adults (aged 16-35). Hosted by the Specialized Treatment Early in Psychosis (STEP) Learning Collaborative, with support from the Connecticut State Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) and Connecticut Department of Children and Families (DCF), Mindmap will guide all eligible individuals into care at the nearest clinic within the collaborative that covers all regions of the state. This service can be accessed through a single referral line: 203-200-0140. CMHA is a valued member of the STEP Learning Collaborative and is ready to care for all eligible emerging adults and their families who live within their designated catchment area.

“We’re excited to partner with Mindmap to help enable a shorter pathway to care for young individuals experiencing psychosis,” said CMHA Clinical Director Alyssa Hunter, LCSW. “Treating each and every eligible individual will ultimately make for a healthier community.”

Mindmap is based on a successful test of an early detection strategy funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which decreased the Duration of Untreated Psychosis (DUP) by half across 10 towns in Greater New Haven over four years (2015-2019). The current campaign will scale this evidence-based approach across all 169 towns of Connecticut. Mass and social media messaging will be combined with outreach and detailing of regional referral networks and other tactics to reduce the Duration of Untreated Psychosis (DUP) across the state. Red Rock Branding will continue to partner with STEP to design and implement this campaign.

Those who call the 203-200-0140 referral line will be asked for basic information and receive a call back from the Early Detection and Assessment Coordinator (EDAC) assigned to their region. Over one or more conversations, EDACs screen for symptoms of psychosis and connect callers with an appropriate clinical service within a network of agencies that are members of the STEP Learning Collaborative. For those who prefer to seek care elsewhere, resources will be offered to their clinicians including the STEP Consult Service.

“All emerging adults with psychotic disorders deserve rapid access to best practice care. This is the goal of our statewide learning collaborative and Mindmap will help us reach affected individuals and connect them to care as soon as possible,”said Vinod Srihari, MD, Professor of Psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine and Director of the STEP Program. “Treatment works, the earlier the better. So, we will engage with all stakeholders to actively assist us in transforming pathways to care. This is an investment in the future of our young adults who have valuable contributions to make to our communities.”

The campaign is aimed at young people, their families, and anyone who interacts with emerging adults. This includes educators, youth group leaders, college counselors, community and inpatient clinicians, law enforcement, first responders, nonprofit staff and board members, advocacy groups, and anyone willing to educate themselves on how to better identify psychosis, and then assist the affected individual in accessing treatment via our referral line. All community members will be invited and enabled to play a useful role in delivering this statewide system of care.

In addition, the following information is available online at mindmapct.org

What does psychosis look like?

Psychosis can present differently for each individual, however at the core involves difficulty distinguishing what’s real from what’s not real. Common experiences include:

– Seeing things that others don’t

– Hearing things that others don’t

– Feeling suspicious or paranoid

– Belief in special powers or abilities

– Confused thinking or speech

– Withdrawing from friends, family, and usual activities

– Recognizing patterns or signs in random occurrences

– Extreme behaviors in response to these things that seem very real

Who qualifies for MindMap’s referral program?

– Individuals between the ages of 16 and 35

– Individuals who have experienced the onset of psychosis within the past 3 years

– Individuals who reside within the state of Connecticut

About CMHA

Community Mental Health Affiliates, Inc. (CMHA) is a private non-profit treatment provider headquartered in New Britain, with eight locations throughout the city and in Waterbury. CMHA partners with clients and the community to promote recovery from mental illness and substance use, treating more than 7,500 adults and children each year. CMHA is Connecticut’s first fully Joint Commission accredited Behavioral Health Home and is a SAMHSA Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC). Visit cmhacc.org to learn more.