Early intervention in psychosis (STEP) specialist service for people experiencing, or at high risk of developing, their first episode of psychosis. Our service focuses on young people aged 14 to 35 years, but there is no upper age limit.

We aim to reduce the duration of untreated psychosis, minimise the risk of relapse and improve the prospect for recovery. You will usually remain with the service for three years to help achieve these objectives.

Our service works closely with the existing mental health services. In many cases we will provide both care co-ordination and the bulk of psychosocial interventions. In some cases, specialist interventions will be provided as part of a care plan administered by another team.

In addition to providing a clinical service, our team attempts to reduce the stigma associated with psychosis. We promote the need for early assessment by providing training for professionals working in health, education and other sectors, as well as the general public.

The decision to seek help is not an easy one. However, the sooner help and support is provided, from both family and professionals, the better the outcome will hopefully be for you. With this help and support, most people who experience psychosis will recover and go on to have full, healthy lives, and may never have another episode.

The key thing is to talk to us. We will help you to get the help you need.

Phone us on 01823 368555 to talk about your concerns.

Psychosis is when people lose some contact with reality. This might involve seeing or hearing things that other people cannot see or hear (hallucinations) and believing things that are not actually true (delusions).

The 2 main symptoms of psychosis are:

• hallucinations – where a person hears, sees and, in some cases, feels, smells or tastes things that do not exist outside their mind but can feel very real to the person affected by them; a common hallucination is hearing voices
• delusions – where a person has strong beliefs that are not shared by others. A common delusion is someone believing there's a conspiracy to harm them

The combination of hallucinations and delusional thinking can cause severe distress and a change in behaviour.

Experiencing the symptoms of psychosis is often referred to as having a psychotic episode.