The Prevention and Recovery Center for Early Psychosis (PARC) at Wishard serves Indiana as a center of clinical, research and educational excellence in the treatment of individuals in the early stages of schizophrenia and other psychotic illnesses.
What is Schizophrenia?
Schizophrenia is a severe brain disorder, and, although its direct cause is unknown, both genetic and environmental factors contribute to the development of the disease. Some common symptoms include:
- hallucinations (hearing voices, for example)
- delusions (believing something that is clearly untrue)
- lack of emotional expressiveness
- social withdrawal
- cognitive difficulties (such as confusion or poor concentration)
Why is getting treatment early so important?
For many people, schizophrenia develops into a serious, life-long illness. Unfortunately, individuals with schizophrenia may cope with life-disrupting symptoms that lead to hospitalization, social isolation, substance abuse and even suicide. However, research shows that the earlier that people receive effective treatment, the better their chances are of avoiding these negative outcomes.
During its early stages, schizophrenia can be confused with other mental illnesses. That’s why PARC offers a thorough, comprehensive clinical assessment to individuals with the early signs of psychotic illnesses to help clarify what’s going on.
Why should I choose PARC?
PARC focuses on treatment, education and research.
- Treatment – PARC helps clients develop and maintain strong relationships in order to support recovery and prevent relapse and other problems such as substance abuse and unemployment. Multiple treatment approaches are used to complement the use of medication, including psychotherapy, case management services, counseling, education and crisis intervention.
- Education – PARC believes it is important to not only educate patients but their families as well. Also, because schizophrenia affects many people, the program maintains a link with other healthcare providers and key community-based professionals as needed to ensure good communication and help create a better understanding of mental illness for individuals outside the mental health field.
- Research – Because there is a need to learn more about the causes of schizophrenia and related disorders and to develop improved treatments for these illnesses, PARC is invested in working to answer the research questions that will help individuals who are suffering from psychotic disorders.
How do I contact PARC?
Please call (317) 630-6046 to find out more information or to schedule an appointment with PARC. For emergencies, please call (317) 630-8485 to reach the Midtown Crisis Intervention Unit.