The CARE project: improving physical health outcomes for young people with first episode psychosis

Abstract

People with psychotic disorders have 2-3 times the risk of dying early compared to the general population. This is primarily due to modifiable risk factors for cardiovascular disease, including increased smoking, poor diet and low physical activity contributing to overweight and obesity. Previous non-pharmacological physical health interventions have largely been atheoretical and have typically only included people with chronic schizophrenia. Although these interventions have generally resulted in weight loss, it is usually not clinically significant and there is a lack of evidence suggesting outcomes persist beyond the end of intervention. There is also limited evidence that non-pharmacolog..