Phoenix-area clinic offering hope for those dealing with psychosis - Arizona's Family

PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) -- Timing can be everything for the patient's and others' safety. One Valley facility is now intervening with faster solutions through their First Episode Center. "Had I not come in contact with the First Episode Center, I would not have had the recovery that I did," said Elise Lampley.

In 2018, everything was going well for Lampley. She moved to Phoenix for her new tech job after graduating with a degree in chemical engineering from the University of Kentucky. But shortly after her move, Lampley stopped feeling like herself. "I could just feel like I was getting really sleepy and wasn't getting a lot of rest. I could hear voices, I thought people were out to get me," she explained.

Her mom noticed too, and flew in to get help. But the treatment she needed was hard to come by. "Most places, they didn't know what was wrong with me," Lampley said. After struggling to get answers for months, she finally got a diagnosis. "I was first diagnosed with schizophreniform disorder. Then after six months, it's considered schizophrenia," she said.

Then she met Dr. Aris Mosley at the Valleywise First Episode Center, and everything changed. "Ultimately, our goal is to help them get back to the life that they want to live," Dr. Mosley said.

The First Episode Center is an outpatient clinic that specializes in catching psychosis–delusions and hallucinations. "When an individual has episodes of psychosis, there is a large potential for lasting damage to the brain. If we get in there early, we have more of a likelihood to be able to bring them back to their baseline. Bring them back to what they were," Mosley said.

Since the pandemic, Valleywise had to reduce its inpatient beds by approximately 20% due to staffing shortages. But they're hopeful outpatient care can become the new gold standard. "I will always work as hard as I can to keep patients out of the hospital. Going to the hospital is not a pleasurable experience for anyone," said Mosley.

Their goal is to completely reverse symptoms through medication, talk therapy, and peer support. "I don't hear voices anymore. I don't have paranoia. My sleep pattern is pretty good," Lampley said.

She has been psychosis free for four years, leading a full life, even stronger than before. "I'm into music, and like I said, I am into weight lifting. So I lift a lot, and I have a fitness Instagram. I work 40 hours a week. Yeah, I feel back to my old self," Lampley said.

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