PRIME Research Program
The PRIME: Early Psychosis Research Program was established to better understand the causes, course and treatment of “Clinical High Risk Symptoms”. These symptoms include changes in thinking, mood and perception.
To find out if you might be eligible to participate in one
of our studies, please complete this questionnaire:
People experiencing the following symptoms may be at increased risk for developing an illness like psychosis:
- Confusion about what is real or imaginary.
- Frequent déjà vu.
- Wondering if people can read minds, hear thoughts.
- Mystical/philosophical/religious ideas.
- The familiar feels strange, confusing, threatening, or has special meaning.
- It seems that the mind/eyes/ears are playing tricks or are misperceiving reality (for example mistaking a dog barking for someone calling out a name).
- Changes in perceptual sensitivity–heightened or dulled.
- Unexpected perceptual changes, noises, lights, shadows, geometrical designs, and whispers or hearing one’s name called.
- Increased sensitivity to smells and tastes.
- Notions of being watched, singled out, talked about, or plotted against, even if unsure whether it is true.
- Confused or muddled thinking.
- Using the wrong words, talking about things irrelevant to context of conversations, or going off track.
- Difficulty paying attention or remembering simple things.
- Notions of being especially important, talented, gifted, powerful, or superior to others.
- Decreased interest in spending time or talking with friends or family.
- Less interested in everyday activities or hobbies.
- Prefer to be alone.
Current Studies
ProNET: Psychosis-Risk Outcomes Network
The goals of the ProNET study are to better understand the cause and course of clinical high-risk symptoms and to monitor participants for the possible development of mental illnesses such as psychosis. For some, these clinical high-risk symptoms may become more severe over time. For others, the symptoms may stay the same, decrease, or go away entirely.
If you have experienced any of the clinical high-risk symptoms described above in the past few months, are between 12-30 years old, and have not been diagnosed with psychosis, you may be eligible to participate in this study. Participation in this study will include multiple visits lasting 1-9 hours over 2 years. Some of these visits will take place at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, NC, and some of the visits may be completed remotely. Study procedures include:
- Clinical Interviews
- The clinical interview focuses on questions about your daily life, such as your friendships and school or work and about different experiences and symptoms.
- Biological Assessments
- These include Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) brain scans, EEG, and collection of saliva and blood samples.
- Cognitive Testing
- These assessments focus on memory, attention, concentration, and learning.
To see if you may be eligible to participate,
complete our Simple Survey
or call (877) PRIME-19