Early Serious Mental Illnesses (ESMI)

Serious mental illnesses (SMI) are identifiable mental, behavioral, or emotional disorders that can lead to significant functional impairment, disrupting or limiting one or more major life activities ().

Early serious mental illness (ESMI) refers to the initial period of symptom onset for these disorders ().

Many mental health problems begin during adolescence or young adulthood. Which, if left untreated, can result in a decline in quality of life and potential disability.

Early identification and intervention is vital to better long term outcomes. Evidence supports that early detection and intervention can have a significant positive impact when mental health systems and providers collaborate with the community to identify, connect, and assist individuals as soon as symptoms appear (Lieberman et al., 2013).