Shared Decision Making for Antipsychotic Medications

Examining the Effectiveness of a Shared Decision Making Intervention for Antipsychotic Medications to Improve Engagement in Treatment for People Experiencing Early Psychosis

This study aims to provide an evidence-based shared decision making intervention for antipsychotic medications, the Antipsychotic Medication Decision Aid (APM-DA), for individuals experiencing early psychosis and provide, for the first time, an understanding of the shared decision making mechanism of action.

The investigators will conduct a cluster RCT of the APM-DA intervention at 6 OnTrackNY clinics, with 3 clinics implementing APM-DA as part of their psychiatric visits and 3 randomized to serve as control offering treatment as usual (TAU). The planned sample size is 120 OnTrackNY clients with first episode psychosis (FEP). This real-world pilot cluster RCT will assess the feasibility of the APM-DA intervention in FEP care, providing the first evidence for the effectiveness of the APM-DA compared with TAU and understanding of the SDM intervention's mechanism of action.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Ages 18 to 30 who have experienced nonaffective psychosis with a diagnosis of schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, schizophreniform disorder, delusional disorder, other specified/unspecified schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorders (ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code F20.x)
• Current/past experiences with antipsychotic medications (APM; e.g., currently taking any antipsychotic medication, stopped taking, or considering stopping).
• Receive FEP treatment in one of OnTrackNY clinics/sites randomized to intervention or treatment as usual (TAU) - Willing to participate in research interviews after each APM visit during the study period (3 months)

Exclusion Criteria:

• Unable to provide informed consent
• No experience with APM
• Not fluent (speaking, reading, writing) in English