A large number of people will experience psychotic features without ever receiving a diagnosis. For many, significant life events or stresses are often precursors to psychotic reactions.

For a person experiencing psychosis, their perceptions, thoughts, feelings and behaviour may be dramatically different to their usual experience or of the people around them, sometimes for no apparent reason. This can be frightening and upsetting for both the psychotic person and those who care for them. This is not the same as someone having different opinions, beliefs, attitudes or world view from other people who know them.

Psychotic features vary with individuals and change over time. Onset may be very slow making it difficult to realise that something is changing. Whilst nobody’s experience of psychosis will be the same, characteristics can include :

Hallucinations – for example, hearing voices or sounds with no external cause or seeing things others can not.

Delusions - generally regarded as entrenched personal beliefs that are resistant to even the most logical argument, including those of a paranoid nature for example, believing that you are at the centre of an elaborate conspiracy and being monitored by radio devices.

Confused thinking - for example difficulties making logical connections between one thought and the next, finding your mind ‘flooded’ with random ideas, finding thoughts are accelerated at a pace you can not keep up with.

Changes in Behaviour - such as suspiciousness of others, loss of interest in usual activities, poor self care, irritability.

Sometimes, reality can become blurred and it becomes difficult to be sure what is real.

The difficult decision about when to seek help is often left to friends and family. Professional investigation may be needed if there are marked negative changes in someone’s normal functioning and/or signs that they are distressed and unable to cope.