The National Psychosis Unit is a national treatment centre for patients with

schizophrenia Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by continuous or relapsing episodes of psychosis. Major symptoms include hallucinations (typically hearing voices), delusions, and disorganized thinking. Other symptoms include social wit ...

and other psychotic disorders, in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. The unit is a tertiary referral centre in the National Health Service. It is located at the Bethlem Royal Hospital, part of the

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, also known as SLaM, is an NHS foundation trust based in London, England, which specialises in mental health. It comprises four psychiatric hospitals (Bethlem Royal Hospital, Lambeth Hospital and ...

. It is closely affiliated to the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, and forms part of the Psychosis Clinical Academic Group of

King's Health Partners King's Health Partners is an academic health science centre located in London, United Kingdom. It comprises King's College London, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and South London and Ma ...

History

The Unit was set up in the early 1990s. It was one of the first units in the UK to offer the antipsychotic drug

clozapine Clozapine is a psychiatric medication and is the first atypical antipsychotic (also called second-generation antipsychotic). It is primarily used to treat people with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorders who have had an inadequate respo ...

, following its reintroduction in the UK in 1990.

Staff

The service has a multidisciplinary team of doctors, nurses, pharmacists and psychologists, many of whom work part of their time as clinical scientists and researchers, investigating the causes of psychotic disorders, and the effectiveness of both existing and new treatments. * Sir Robin Murray, Professor of Psychiatric Research at the Institute of Psychiatry at King's College London, is a prominent member of staff at National Psychosis Unit.

Treatment

The National Psychosis Unit specialises in evidence-based treatment for people with

bipolar disorder Bipolar disorder, previously known as manic depression, is a mental disorder characterized by periods of depression and periods of abnormally elevated mood that last from days to weeks each. If the elevated mood is severe or associated with ...

and other similar disorders, particularly where local treatment has been unsuccessful or only partially successful in relieving symptoms. Anyone receiving

NHS The National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). Since 1948, they have been funded out of general taxation. There are three systems which are referred to using the " ...

treatment can access the service free of charge following a referral by the person’s psychiatrist or general practitioner The service provides second opinions on medication, diagnosis or any other aspect of care. The service has an outpatient clinic and 24-bedded inpatient facility. As well as pharmaceutical treatments, there is a strong focus on psychological treatments, rehabilitation and recovery, and reducing the risk of readmission through exploring what has led to breakdowns in the past and how to avoid this happening in future. The Unit also hosts research into the treatment of psychosis, including clinical trials of new treatments for psychosis. The National Psychosis Carers' Group, which meets monthly, supports the carers and families of people with psychosis and allows them a forum for discussion.

Links with other organisations

The National Psychosis Unit has strong links with th
Department of Psychosis Studies
at the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London. The Unit also has longstanding links with mental health charities, includin

an
SANE

Awards

The Unit won the Hospital Doctor Psychiatric Team of the Year Award in 1997.

References

External links

* {{coord, 51.38087, -0.03061, type:landmark_globe:earth_region:GB, display=title Mental health organisations in the United Kingdom 1990s establishments in the United Kingdom