Psychosis
Psychosis can happen for lots of reasons.
These might be a change in lifestyle/routine/or activites, increased stress or (illegal) drug use.
People are most likely to experience psychosis for the first time in their late teens to early thirties.
To begin with people may feel that something isn’t right, but can’t quite identify what. They may become more withdrawn, experience loss of sleep or appetite, find it difficult to concentrate, feel suspicious or paranoid.
Later signs might include strange behaviour, unusual beliefs or hallucinations.
(Have a look at the jargon section of the website for a description of some of these words.)
People can recover fully from psychosis. The most important thing is to get help early.
PSYCHOSIS - ‘early signs’
The early signs of psychosis can be difficult to spot.
The person may become:
- Irritable
- Suspicious
- Anxious
- Depressed
- Tense
- Angry
The person may experience:
- Sleep disturbances
- Loss of energy or motivation
- Difficulty remembering things
- Mood swings
They may feel:
- Things around them seem changed
- Things are somehow different
- Their thoughts are speeded up or slowed down
They may become:
- Paranoid
- Confused
- Behave oddly
They may experience:
- Hallucinations (seeing, hearing, feeling, smelling or tasting things which other people cannot)
They may feel:
- They have special powers
- That their thoughts are being 'read' by someone or something
- That they are being watched
Family, friends and staff often notice that something isn’t quite right even though they may not know exactly what the problem is.
Often friends, family and staff are the first to notice when:
- The person becomes less active
- They become more withdrawn or isolated
- Their studies or work levels get worse (deteriorate)
- Their behaviour changes
- They are no longer interested in socialising
These ‘early signs’ could simply be a brief reaction to a stressful event like falling out with friends, or moving home or job/college etc. But they could also be early signs of developing psychosis.
It is important to seek help early.
A good place to start is with your GP. Tell them as much as possible about how you have been feeling. They can refer you to an Early Intervention in Psychosis team (EIP).
At the first meeting with EIP they will listen to you and talk to you about what is worrying you. They can meet you at home or somewhere at a nearby location that you choose, for example a local café. They also like to work with your family and friends to help understand what is happening. Through every step of your care we encourage the individual to be involved in all decision making.
People can recover fully from psychosis– the important thing is to get help early.
What do the Early Intervention in Psychosis teams do?
The service is for people aged 18-35 experiencing their first onset of psychosis. Once accepted clients can remain with the team for up to 3 years.
The aims of this service include:
- Early detection, assessment and treatment of symptoms
- To have optimistic views about recovery focused interventions
- Provide a wide range of psycho-social interventions and support
- Provide support and intervention for family and carers
- To work in partnership with a range of statutory and non-statutory services
Referrals to local teams are made by GPs directly, or via the Community Mental Health Services
Helpful information about Psychosis and Learning Disability is on the Intellectual Disability website.