Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board

CONTACT INFORMATION: Emergency - 703-573-5679 / Detox - 703-502-7000 (24/7)
703-383-8500 TTY 711
8221 Willow Oaks Corporate Drive
Fairfax, Virginia 22031
Daryl Washington
Executive Director

Mental Health Matters: CSB launches new online early psychosis screening tool

Are you concerned about unusual experiences or behaviors, either in yourself or someone you’re close to?

Approximately 3 percent of the people in the U.S. (3 out of 100 people) will experience psychosis over the course of their lifetime. The  Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board (CSB) has added a new online screening tool to help individuals or their loved ones recognize early psychotic behaviors or episodes. The new screening tool is free, anonymous, easy to understand, and quick.

About 100,000 young adolescents and young adults in the U.S. develop psychosis each year. Often, more than a year passes before getting help. Awareness, early detection and intervention, and treatment are crucial and can make a lifelong difference.

Photo of young manDo you recognize any of these issues?

  • Withdrawing from family and friends or from things you used to find enjoyable.
  • Developing unusual thoughts or ideas, such as receiving special messages from the TV, music or internet.
  • Difficulty thinking or having disorganized thoughts.
  • Decreased energy or lack of motivation.
  • Hearing, seeing, feeling or tasting things that other people don’t.
  • These may be signs of a more serious problem.

If you think someone you know is experiencing psychosis, encourage treatment as early as possible. Psychosis can be treated effectively, and early intervention increases the chance of a successful outcome. CSB’s Turning Point program provides early psychosis intervention where a combination of services are coordinated by a group of professionals working collaboratively with the individual and the family. Turning Point is a partnership between the CSB and PRS; there is a fee for services, based on a sliding scale. Learn more about Turning Point, the CSB’s early intervention program.

With early intervention and appropriate treatment, recovery is possible. Early intervention can decrease relapses and prevent much of the disability associated with psychosis.

The online screenings are available in English and Spanish. The tool covers a total of nine mental health issues, including the psychosis screenings; they include depression, anxiety disorder, adolescent depression, bipolar disorder, alcohol use disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, eating disorder, and substance use disorder.

Online screenings are not a substitute for clinical diagnosis or treatment, but they can be helpful in determining if thoughts or behaviors may be associated with a common, treatable mental health issue.

For more information about services, contact the CSB at 703-383-8500 (M-F, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., extended hours for youth until 7 p.m. on Tuesdays). In an emergency (24/7), call CSB Emergency Services at 703-573-5679 or the Fairfax Detoxification Center at 703-502-7000, TTY 703-322-9080.

 

Contact Information

Contact for news media inquiries: CSB Communications Team, 703-324-7000.

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