Early Psychosis Intervention (EPI) Service

• Early Psychosis Intervention (EPI) is an assertive outreach service
• It provides intensive follow-up to young people aged between 16 - 25 years (and their families/whanau), experiencing First Episode Psychosis 
• EPI may be available for up to three years for people under 18 at time of referral
• People over 17 years for up to two years
• The EPI Team is part of the District Mental Health Services
• The EPI Team uses a model called Early Intervention
• EPI provides support, information & treatment as soon as possible after their first experience
• We are able to see you either in our offices or at a place you feel comfortable

What is Psychosis?

There are three main experiences people may have when experiencing psychosis:

1. Hallucinations - experiences that come through your senses (sight, hearing, touch, taste, smell) but don’t seem to have an external cause
   e.g. hearing voices when there isn’t anyone around or seeing things that others can’t see
2. Delusions - strongly held beliefs you might have but that others around you would say were strange or unusual
3. Disorganised thinking - can feel like you are thinking less clearly
   e.g. might be hard to concentrate, or it might be hard to put words together and you might not be sure if you are making sense

The team

• Community Nurses
• Maori Cultural Advisor
• Occupational Therapists
• Psychiatrist and Psychiatric Registrars
• Psychologists
• Social Workers

Locations

• North Shore Hospital
  Pupuke Building
  Ph (09) 489 0555
  Monday - Friday: 8.30am - 4.30pm

• Waimarino
  Ph (09) 822 8666
  Monday - Friday: 8.30am - 4.30pm