Everybody has the potential to suffer from psychosis at any time. It is not confined to a specific gender, ethnicity, class or age but is more common in young people. It often arises in late adolescence or early adulthood.

Psychosis is very common. Every year in Britain over 100,000 people are treated for psychosis – that’s the combined population of Chesterfield & Dronfield. Approximately 3 people in every hundred experience a psychotic episode. It is more common than diabetes.

Lots of famous people have had these experiences at some time in their life: e.g. Paul Merton, Joan of Arc, Madonna, Winston Churchill, Ghandi and Michael Barrymore to name but a few.

A large number of people will experience psychosis symptoms without ever receiving a diagnosis of a mental health problem. It is estimated that at any one time 5% of the population hear voices that others cannot. 70% of the population are deemed to hold beliefs that could be classified as delusional e.g. belief in alien abduction.

People’s ability to cope with these symptoms at any given time often determines whether they require treatment. Many people diagnosed with a psychotic reaction have recently undergone significant life events e.g. moving house, starting college or work, relationship breakdown, bereavement, and/or encountered a high level of stress.

Understanding what causes psychosis can help identify people who may be more at risk from experiencing it. With the right help most will recover to lead fulfilling healthy lives.