Georgia Psychiatric Risk Evaluation Program

Adolescence and early adulthood can be a time  of great change as new challenges emerge. It can also be a time when  people start to experience psychiatric symptoms that are distressing or  detrimental for relationships, work, or school. The sooner these  symptoms receive treatment, the less likely they are to continue to  affect someone’s life.

The  Georgia Psychiatric Risk Evaluation Program (G-PREP) is a clinical  assessment service within the University of Georgia Psychology  Department.  It is a place for people worried about recent changes in  their thoughts, perceptions, and feelings. Our goal is to help identify  psychiatric symptoms when they are first emerging, in hopes of  preventing more serious long-term diagnoses from developing. As part of  our research and doctoral training program in Clinical Psychology, we  provide diagnostic and neuropsychological assessments to individuals  exhibiting at-risk-mental-states. These evaluations are offered free of charge for individuals who participate in our research studies.

The  Purpose of G-PREP is to offer assessment services that allow us to  catch psychiatric symptoms when they first start, and monitor these  symptoms over time to help prevent serious psychiatric conditions from  developing.

We  are also interested in developing a knowledge base for the prediction  of future thought disorders in adolescents and young adults who have  symptoms that signal the early stage of psychiatric conditions. To do  this, we offer interested individuals the opportunity to participate in  paid research studies. These studies try to understand how the brain  changes over time in people who develop such conditions compared to  those who do not. 

Individuals  who receive services at G-PREP have a wide range of concerns they may  wish to discuss, such as unusual thoughts and perceptions, increased  depression, social anxiety, and greater difficulty with work, school,  friends and family.

Individuals  who are experiencing difficulty functioning and who have a family  member with a psychotic illness such as schizophrenia are also  considered to be at risk and are encouraged to contact us.

Have you noticed some of these recent changes?

Being Fearful

·  Worrying that others are thinking bad things about you

·  Thinking others want to harm you

·  Being suspicious of others

·  Feeling fearful and uneasy around others

Unusual Perceptual Experiences

·  Hearing a voice talking or noises others may not notice

·  Seeing shadow figures out of the corner of your eye

·  Seeing, smelling, tasting, or feeling things on one’s body that others do not notice

·  Heightened senses

Distressing Thoughts

·  Thinking that you are not real, the world is not real, or life is a simulation

·  Wondering if you can read people's minds or if they can read yours

·  Having trouble figuring out what is real vs. imaginary

·  Believing that the TV, radio, or computer is communicating directly with you

·  Feeling like you can predict the future

Jumbled Thoughts and Confusion

·  Trouble with focus and attention

·  Difficulty reading, understanding long sentences

·  Forgetting and getting lost

Decreased socialization, interest, and motivation

·  Withdrawal from family & friends

·  Less energy, motivation, drive

·  Fewer pleasurable activities