Behavioral Health

Prevention and Early Intervention (PEI)

PEI Services are directed to reduce the likelihood of serious mental illness and its negative consequences for individuals and communities at elevated risk. 

 

Prevention

  • Activities to reduce risk factors for developing a potentially serious mental illness and to build protective factors. The goal of this Program is to bring about mental health including reduction of the applicable negative outcomes as a result of untreated mental illness for individuals and members of groups or populations whose risk of developing a serious mental illness is greater than average and, as applicable, their parents, caregivers, and other family members.

Early Intervention

  • Treatment and other services and interventions, including relapse prevention, to address and promote recovery and related functional outcomes for a mental illness early in its emergence, including the applicable negative outcomes that may result from untreated mental illness.

Early Intervention Program services may include services to parents, caregivers, and other family members of the person with early onset of a mental illness, as applicable.

Outreach for Increasing Recognition of Early Signs of Mental Illness

  • Process of engaging, encouraging, educating, and/or training, and learning from potential responders about ways to recognize and respond effectively to early signs of potentially severe and disabling mental illness. Outreach for Increasing Recognition of Early Signs of Mental Illness may include reaching out to individuals with signs and symptoms of a mental illness, so they can recognize and respond to their own symptoms.

Stigma and Discrimination Reduction

  • Direct activities to reduce negative feelings, attitudes, beliefs, perceptions, stereotypes and/or discrimination related to being diagnosed with a mental illness, having a mental illness, or to seeking mental health services and to increase acceptance, dignity, inclusion, and equity for individuals with mental illness, and members of their families.

Suicide Prevention 

  • Organized activities to prevent suicide as a consequence of mental illness. This category of Programs does not focus on or have intended outcomes for specific individuals at risk of or with serious mental illness.

Safe Storage Saves Lives- Lethal Means Safety Subcommittee