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What is Psychosis?
Psychosis is a term used to refer to medical conditions which affect the brain, in
which there is a distortion of, or a loss of contact with reality. Psychosis affects how people
think, feel, perceive and act.
What is first episode or early psychosis?
The terms "first episode psychosis" and "early psychosis" are used to indicate that the person is
experiencing psychosis for the first time.
Who gets psychosis?
Although psychosis can happen to anyone, the age that people are at greatest risk for developing
psychosis is during adolescence and young adulthood.
Psychosis strikes individuals of all races, cultures and socio-economic status and affects men and
women equally. Men tend to have an earlier onset of psychosis than women.
How common is psychosis?
Psychosis is quite common. Approximately 3 in every 100 people will experience some type of
psychosis during their lifetime. Approximately 1 in every 100 people will experience the most
common type of psychosis known as schizophrenia.
It is important to remember that psychosis can happen to anyone and like other illnesses, it is
treatable!
What are the symptoms of psychosis?
The way psychosis manifests itself varies greatly from one person to another. The specific changes
and disturbances that can occur with psychosis are:
- Positive symptoms
- Negative symptoms
- Mood symptoms
- Cognitive symptoms
What are the types of Psychosis?
There are many disorders that can cause psychotic symptoms. The most common are: Schizophrenia,
Schizophreniform Disorder, Brief Psychosis, Schizoaffective Disorder, Psychosis NOS (Not otherwise
specified) Delusional Disorder, Substance Induced Psychosis, Bipolar Disorder (manic depressive
illness) and Psychotic Depression.
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