Psychosis is well known as the primary symptom of schizophrenia, but many psychiatric and physical conditions can cause a psychotic break. The experienced team at the Mental Health Clinic of Idaho encourages you to seek care as soon as possible after your first psychotic episode. Early treatment significantly lowers your risk for ongoing psychosis.

Psychosis Q & A

What is psychosis?

Psychosis occurs when a person can’t distinguish between real life (reality) and their own thoughts, hallucinations, or delusions. Psychosis may be a primary diagnosis (brief psychotic disorder), but it’s usually the symptom of another mental or physical condition.

The following conditions can cause psychosis:

• Schizophrenia
• Bipolar disorder
• Delusional disorder
• Schizoaffective disorder
• Major depression with psychosis
• Epilepsy
• Brain tumor
• Alzheimer’s disease
• Parkinson’s disease
• Dementia
• Lupus
• Stroke

Psychosis is most often associated with schizophrenia.

What are the symptoms of psychosis? 

Psychosis causes unusual thoughts and changes your perceptions. As a result, you lose touch with reality and experience symptoms such as:

• Delusions (beliefs that aren’t true, like believing someone controls your thoughts)
• Hallucinations (hearing voices or experiencing nonexistent odors and tastes)
• Disorganized thoughts (disjointed, chaotic, and/or racing thoughts)
• Disorganized speech (using nonsense words, mixing up words)
• Catatonic behavior (lack of movement or the opposite, excessive movement)
• Disorganized behavior (talking to yourself, repeating movements)

You may also have difficulty sleeping, isolate yourself, or engage in childish or regressive behaviors.

Will I have early warning signs of psychosis? 

You may experience one or more of the following changes in your feelings, thoughts, and behaviors before a psychotic episode:

• Developing (new) intense feelings
• Feeling like your brain is foggy
• Having a hard time talking
• Struggling to tell reality from fantasy
• Withdrawing from family and friends
• Having suspicious or paranoid thoughts
• Showing a decline in performance at work or school
• Neglecting to keep up with personal hygiene

These red flags may occur before your first psychotic episode or any future breaks from reality. Don’t hesitate to call the Mental Health Clinic of Idaho if you have any of these symptoms.

How is psychosis treated?

Antipsychotic medicines and therapy are both crucial for treating psychosis. Antipsychotics reduce symptoms, but psychosis has a significant and widespread impact on your daily life.

Therapy supports your ongoing well-being and gives you skills for managing intense emotions and dealing with work, family, and social challenges.

Mental Health Clinic of Idaho also coordinates your care with other community providers, ensuring you have access to services such as case management, family support, and supported employment. Coordinating specialty care boosts your ability to overcome psychosis.