Policy and service development implications of the second Australian National Survey of High Impact Psychosis (SHIP)

Abstract

Objective: We consider insights from the second Australian National Survey of High Impact Psychosis (2010) in order to identify the key policy and service development implications. Method: The Survey of High Impact Psychosis (SHIP) provides an updated description of the experiences of people living with psychosis in Australia. We discuss the SHIP survey participants’ greatest challenges for the future in light of the strength of existing literature, highlighting prospective opportunities for policy and service planning. Results: Targets for future policy development and service initiatives are informed by the survey participants’ leading challenges: financial difficulties, social isolation, lack of employment, physical and mental ill health, accommodation, and access to services. Conclusions: Many of the areas of need identified by survey participants are supported by quality research that may be more widely translated into effective services. For areas of need where the evidence is lacking, more clinical research is urgently needed. A targeted approach is vital to secure necessary investment in the wider dissemination of efficacious interventions and their systematic evaluation in ordinary clinical practice, enabled by both research investment and active integration of the research effort within ordinary clinical settings.