Psychosis Consultation Service

The Psychosis Consultation Service at Massachusetts General Hospital provides the following services:

• Diagnostic and treatment advice about psychosis and schizophrenia for physicians
• Education about schizophrenia for families
• Medical work-up for patients

The Psychosis Consultation Service provides a number of services and is made possible with a generous gift from the Rampuria Family.

Second Opinion Consultations (Adult Patients)

The purpose of this consultation is a to confirm a suspected diagnosis of schizophrenia or to provide expert advice about treatment in patients with established schizophrenia. We are often asked for help with patients who have not responded well to first-line treatments and continue to have symptoms despite treatment (so-called treatment-refractory schizophrenia). We also see many patients and families who are wondering if clozapine (a specialty antipsychotic medication that can help in cases where other treatments do not work) should be used and provide education to patients and families regarding its use.

What to Expect

For this consultation, the patient must be able to come to Mass General. The consultation is team-based and includes a psychologist and psychiatrist (usually Corinne Cather, PhD, and Oliver Freudenreich, MD, respectively). Since Mass General is a teaching hospital, our psychiatry fellow or residents will also be involved in the consultation.

This consultation includes:

• A chart review
• A clinical interview of the patient and accompanying family members

The consultation concludes with a meeting to discuss our impression and treatment recommendations. The referring doctor will then receive a written visit summary. We offer more extensive medical work-up for families who are able to return for a second visit.

All patients are automatically enrolled in our program’s patient registry, which aims to improve medical care for patients with schizophrenia through better care coordination.

Family Consultation (Referral from Family)

The purpose of this consultation is to provide family members with education and skills to manage a family member with suspected or established schizophrenia. For this consultation, families can come without their loved one with psychosis.

This is one-time consultation at Mass General with two to three follow-up visits. A report is provided to the family afterward.

First Episode and Early Psychosis Consultations (Adolescent Patients)

Patients 19 and under who are experiencing psychosis for the first time are treated through the First Episode and Early Psychosis (FEPP) program.

Learn more about FEPP