Helping young people with early psychosis navigate disability benefits
Official title: Optimizing Disability Benefit Decisions and Outcomes in First Episode Psychosis
Funded at University of Maryland Baltimore · NIH-11190994 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at how Social Security disability benefits affect young people (about 16–30) getting treatment after a first episode of psychosis to help improve decisions and long-term outcomes.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Maryland Baltimore NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Baltimore, United States) |
| Project start | July 1, 2024 |
| Project end | June 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $2,249,636 |
| NIH project number | 4RF1MH125868-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11190994 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Young people (about 16–30) receiving coordinated specialty care for a first episode of psychosis, particularly those considering or enrolled in SSI/DI, are the ideal participants.
✕Less likely to help
People who are older, have long-standing chronic psychosis, are not in EPINET/coordinated specialty care programs, or are not eligible for SSA benefits may not directly benefit from this project.
What this research studies
If you are 16–30 and receiving coordinated specialty care after a first episode of psychosis, researchers will use data from 101 clinics across 16 states to learn how decisions about SSI/DI are made and how they shape work, identity, and health over time. The team will combine clinic records, surveys, and follow-up interviews to track who applies for or uses disability benefits and what happens afterward. They will analyze these patterns to identify supports or barriers to career development and access to services. The results will be used to create practical strategies and tools to help you and your care team make benefit decisions that fit your goals.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Could give young people and their care teams clearer guidance and tools to make disability benefit choices that better protect health and vocational goals.
How similar studies have gone: Research has examined Social Security disability broadly, but few large longitudinal efforts focus specifically on outcomes after a first episode of psychosis, so this is a relatively novel, scaled effort.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Maryland Baltimore
Baltimore, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Goldman, Howard H — University of Maryland Baltimore
- Study coordinator: Goldman, Howard H
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Improving decisions about disability benefits for young people with early psychosis
This study looks at how young people who are going through their first experience of psychosis decide about Social Security disability benefits, especially focusing on the challenges faced by Black Americans, to help improve support and outcomes for them in their careers and personal identities.
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Psychosis in diverse settings across the world
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A study examines why girls with language impairment may receive fewer speech services than boys and what that means for treatment.
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A new online brain-scan-style tool to spot early psychosis risk
A new online-based set of tasks and a computer model aims to identify people at high risk for developing psychosis earlier and more accurately.
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How COVID school closures affected kids with or at risk for developmental differences
This NIH grant follows children aged 4 to 15 and their families to see how pandemic school closures impacted emotional well-being and parenting over three years.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.