Exploring functional outcomes, mental health severity and risk of physical illness among patients with psychosis

A patient’s NHS health records could reveal which combination of treatments actually helps them recover from psychosis, rather than leaving clinicians to guess. Psychosis distorts a person’s grip on reality—they may hear voices or hold beliefs that others do not share. The condition makes everyday life profoundly difficult, yet doctors lack clear evidence about which treatments or treatment combinations work best for which patients. This project mines real-world health records to find those answers, filling a gap between clinical guidelines and the messy reality of individual patient outcomes. If successful, the research could transform how mental health services personalise care. Instead of a one-size-fits-all approach, clinicians might draw on data-driven evidence to match therapies—medication, talking therapies, social support—to a patient’s specific symptom profile and risk of physical illness. That could reduce hospital admissions, improve daily functioning, and lower the long-term burden of chronic disease that often accompanies severe mental illness. The change would be invisible to most people, but for the hundreds of thousands living with psychosis in the UK, it could mean a treatment plan that actually fits their life.