Signs Of Early Or First-Episode Psychosis

Determining exactly when the first episode of psychosis begins can be hard, but these signs and symptoms strongly indicate an episode of psychosis:

Hearing, seeing, tasting or believing things that others don’t Persistent, unusual thoughts or beliefs that can’t be set aside regardless of what others believe Strong and inappropriate emotions or no emotions at all Withdrawing from family or friends A sudden decline in self-care Trouble thinking clearly or concentrating

Such warning signs often point to a person’s deteriorating health, and a physical and neurological evaluation can help find the problem. A mental health professional performing a psychological evaluation can determine if a mental health condition is involved and discuss next steps. If the psychosis is a symptom of a mental health condition, early action helps to keep lives on track.

Psychosis

Psychosis includes a range of symptoms but typically involves one of these two major experiences:

Hallucinations are seeing, hearing or feeling things that aren’t there, such as the following:

Hearing voices (auditory hallucinations) Strange sensations or unexplainable feelings Seeing glimpses of objects or people that are not there or distortions Delusions are strong beliefs that are not consistent with the person’s culture, are unlikely to be true and may seem irrational to others, such as the following:

Believing external forces are controlling thoughts, feelings and behaviors Believing that trivial remarks, events or objects have personal meaning or significance Thinking you have special powers, are on a special mission or even that you are God.