Around 8 in 10 people who develop psychosis experience early warning signs in the months or years prior to their diagnosis. This creates a critical window in which timely, specialist support can significantly improve their outcomes.

OPEN-ARMS focuses on identifying young people during this early phase, before a first episode of psychosis develops. At this stage, individuals may present with less intense/frequent psychotic symptoms, such as unusual suspiciousness, visual or auditory hallucinations, or a persistent sense that something is not quite right. This requires a specialist assessment and a careful differential diagnosis (a method used in healthcare to distinguish between different diseases or conditions that present with similar symptoms).

Most of the young people seen in OPEN-ARMS are already known to OHFT healthcare teams, and the clinic provides additional specialist expertise to support early identification and intervention.

By intervening early, OPEN-ARMS aims to prevent and reduce crisis presentations, hospital admissions, and prolonged inpatient stays, which currently precede most first episodes of psychosis.

What does the clinic offer?

Jerica Radez

“We are a very friendly, enthusiastic team, and offer a comprehensive multi-disciplinary team approach, consisting of a specialist assessment, ongoing medical input, psychological intervention, family support and employment/education support. Each young person is also allocated a keyworker” said Jerica Radez, Team Manager.

OPEN-ARMS also offers consultation and advice to clinicians across OHFT to support the identification, management, and differential diagnosis of emerging signs of psychosis.

OPEN-ARMS is part of the Mental Health in Development (MHID) programme, which integrates high-quality NHS care with research to improve outcomes for young people.

Associate Professor, Amedeo Minichino

“Many of the young people we see are already under the care of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) or other OHFT healthcare teams. Our role is to support colleagues in identifying patients early in the course of psychosis, before illness onset, when initial signs first emerge. This allows us to guide the most appropriate treatment pathway, reduce the risk of long-term impact, and ensure that young people do not fall through gaps between services.” said Amedeo Minichino, Consultant Psychiatrist

If you or someone you support is aged 14–35 and experiencing unusual or distressing mental health changes, early support can make a meaningful difference.

Find out more or get in touch:
Website: https://open.mhid.org.uk/
Phone: 01865 902 724
Email: open.arms.service@oxfordhealth.nhs.uk