RAISE Study on Schizophrenia

The Providence Center is participating in RAISE (Recovery After an Initial Schizophrenia Episode), a multi-site, randomized controlled research trial funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) to evaluate treatment options for individuals experiencing their first schizophrenia episode.

The 25 research sites are divided into two groups: one will treat clients with the RAISE Enhanced Treatment, a comprehensive pharmacological and psychosocial treatment package; and the other will provide community care. All study participants will be assessed at a baseline and every six months for at least two years via video-based assessments by clinical evaluators who are not privy to treatment assignment.

The following are criteria for participation:

1. Client is 15-40 years old
2. Client has the following diagnoses:
   • schizophreniform disorder
   • schizophrenia
   • schizoaffective disorder
   • psychotic disorder NOS
   • brief psychotic disorder
3. Client has had less than four months of treatment with an antipsychotic drug.
4. Client must be English-speaking, since the protocol, consent and all documents are in English only.

The Providence Center is part of the National Institute of Mental Health’s “Recovery After an Initial Schizophrenia Episode” (RAISE) research project. RAISE seeks to fundamentally change the trajectory and prognosis of schizophrenia through coordinated and aggressive treatment in the earliest stages of illness. It is designed to reduce the likelihood of long-term disability that people with schizophrenia often experience.  It also aims to reduce the financial impact on the public systems often tapped to pay for the care of people with schizophrenia.

RAISE is being conducted by two independent research teams—the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research in Manhasset, NY, and the Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene at Columbia University in New York, NY. This project has been funded in whole or in part with Federal funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and the National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, under Contract No. HHSN271200900020C.