INTREPID II: International Research Programme on Psychoses In Diverse Settings

INTREPID II is a research programme to study the incidence, phenomenology, aetiology, and outcome of psychotic disorders in diverse settings. It builds on previously developed methods for the study of schizophrenia and other psychoses in the INTREPID I pilot study.

The overall aim of this five-year research programme is to investigate the variability - in incidence, presentation, outcome, and impact - of psychotic disorders in three diverse countries: India, Nigeria, and Trinidad. It consists of four inter-connected studies, designed to investigate: (1) the incidence and presentation of untreated psychotic disorders in each site and associated risk factors; (2) the 2-year course and outcome of psychotic disorders and associated factors; (3) help-seeking and the impact of psychotic disorders on individuals and families, using a combination of quantitative and qualitative approaches; and (4) the types and prevalence of physical health problems and related risk markers.

Impact

Baseline data collection will be completed in summer 2020, and follow-up data collection will conclude in summer 2022. We anticipate that INTREPID II will inform service planning and policy in each of our three sites, by providing robust, population-based data on (a) the needs of people living with psychotic disorders (in terms of both their mental and physical health), (b) the impact of psychosis on both the individual and their caregivers, (c) current experiences of mental health services and gaps in provision, and (d) key risk factors for psychosis in each settings that can be targeted for prevention. Findings from INTREPID II may also inform treatment and prevention efforts in other settings, both by improving our understanding of psychotic disorders in general and by providing crucial evidence to help us interpret mental health inequalities between ethnic groups in the UK (particularly the South Asian, Caribbean and West African diaspora).

Project Team

  • Professor Craig Morgan, King's College London (Principal Investigator)
  • Dr Alex Cohen, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine & Harvard University
  • Professor Helen Weiss,  London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
  • Dr Tessa Roberts, King's College London 
  • Prof Robin Murray
  • Prof Oye Gureje - University of Ibadan
  • Prof Gerard Hutchinson - University of the West Indies
  • Dr Thara Rangaswamy - SCARF

Funder

Medical Research Council 

Project Partners

Schizophrenia Research Foundation (SCARF; Chennai, India)

University of Ibadan (Nigeria)

University of the West Indies (Trinidad)

London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (UK)

Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London (UK)