Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSymptomsPsychotic DisordersOther Psychiatric CausesMedical CausesDrug CausesDiagnosisTreatment

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Symptoms

Psychotic Disorders

Other Psychiatric Causes

Medical Causes

Drug Causes

Diagnosis

Treatment

Approximately three of every 100 people will experience an episode ofpsychosisin their lifetime.Psychosis is not a condition on its own, but rather a symptom of a psychiatric or medical condition.

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Symptoms of Psychosis

Psychosis is the distortion of reality in which you have difficulty knowing what is real and what is not. It can be temporary, ongoing, or cause recurring symptoms. People experiencing psychosis have little or no awareness of their symptoms.

Psychosis is a defining feature of conditions classified in the American Psychiatric Association’sDiagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition(DSM-5)as “Schizophrenia Spectrum and Other Psychotic Disorders.”

Psychotic disorders in this category include:

Early Signs of PsychosisIn people with schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders, early signs may develop before a full-blown psychotic break occurs, such as:New unusual thoughts or beliefsA marked drop in grades or job performanceDifficulty concentratingIncreased isolation and withdrawal from family, friends, and colleaguesA sudden decline in self-care and hygieneExtreme emotions or a noticeable lack of emotionsSuspiciousness or distrust of othersBy recognizing the early signs, you can seek treatment and potentially abort a serious psychotic episode.

Early Signs of Psychosis

In people with schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders, early signs may develop before a full-blown psychotic break occurs, such as:New unusual thoughts or beliefsA marked drop in grades or job performanceDifficulty concentratingIncreased isolation and withdrawal from family, friends, and colleaguesA sudden decline in self-care and hygieneExtreme emotions or a noticeable lack of emotionsSuspiciousness or distrust of othersBy recognizing the early signs, you can seek treatment and potentially abort a serious psychotic episode.

In people with schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders, early signs may develop before a full-blown psychotic break occurs, such as:

By recognizing the early signs, you can seek treatment and potentially abort a serious psychotic episode.

Other Psychiatric Disorders

People with other mental disorders can sometimes experience psychosis as a complication of their condition. The difference is that people with these disorders may never have a psychotic episode, while people with psychotic disorders have a higher risk of experiencing psychosis.

These conditions include:

The diagnostic criteria for each of these disorders are individually described in the DSM-5.

Medical Conditions

Psychosis is primarily associated with psychiatric conditions, but some medical conditions can also cause psychosis. This may be due to an injury or changes to the brain that cause a transient break or recurrent episodes.

Examples include:

These and other medical conditions are listed in the DSM-5 as “Psychotic Disorders Due to Another Medical Condition.” With these conditions, hallucinations and/or delusions are the primary features.

Psychoactive Drugs

Certain psychoactive substances, both legal and legal, can cause psychotic episodes either as a result of intoxication, prolonged use, or drug withdrawal. These episodes differ in that the person will often be aware of their psychotic break and may experience suicidal thoughts or actions.

Drugs known to induce psychosis include:

Diagnosing Psychosis

Your healthcare provider will want to investigate whether the appearance of psychosis is purely psychiatric, purely medical, or a combination of both. This may involve lab and imaging tests to detect or exclude medical causes.

Even if a psychiatric illness or substance use is suspected, these and other tests may be ordered to ensure that the diagnosis is correct and that an underlying or co-occurring condition is not involved.

(For instance, a severeurinary tract infectionin an adult with dementia can trigger episodes of psychosis. Diagnosing this can direct the appropriate treatment.)

Sometimes, a person only has one psychotic episode. If the episode lasts longer than one day but is shorter than one month, it might be diagnosed as a brief psychotic disorder.

Treatment of Psychosis

Treatment for psychosis depends on the cause but may include medications, therapy, or both. In cases of substance use, detoxification may be the primary (or sole) form of treatment.

Even if the cause is medical, antipsychotic drugs may be prescribed to help bring symptoms under control. With schizophrenia and other psychiatric conditions, the drugs can not only treat acute episodes but prevent recurrence.

These include first-generationtypical antipsychoticslike:

Second-generationatypical antipsychoticsmay also be used:

Combination muscarinic antagonist and agonist may also be used:

Typical antipsychotics are often used for treating acute psychotic episodes, including severe agitation.

Atypical antipsychotics are often recommended for the treatment and long-term management of psychiatric disorders. They generally lead to fewer movement disorders than typical antipsychotics. Atypical antipsychotics are effective in alleviating positive symptoms, such as hallucinations and delusions, as well as addressing negative symptoms, like social withdrawal and lack of motivation.

People with schizophrenia and psychiatric conditions would also benefit from psychotherapy, most often in the form ofcognitive-behavior therapy (CBT)ordialectical behavioral therapy (DBT).

Cobenfy is a new treatment for schizophrenia used to improve positive and negative symptoms. Cobenfy is a new class of medicine and works differently than traditional schizophrenia medications. Cobenfy contains xanomeline, which helps schizophrenia symptoms, and trospium, which works to reduce the side effects.

Summary

Antipsychotic drugs may be used to treat acute episodes and prevent recurrence in people with psychotic disorders.

11 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Arciniegas DB.Psychosis.Continuum (Minneap Minn). 2015;21(3):715-736. doi:10.1212/01.CON.0000466662.89908.e7National Institute of Mental Health.Fact sheet: first episode psychosis.Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).Table 3.20: DSM-IV to DSM-5 psychotic disorders. In:Impact of the DSM-IV to DSM-5 Changes on the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Rockville (MD): SAMHSA; 2016.National Association of Mental Illness.Early psychosis and psychosis.​​Griswold KS, Del Regno PA, Berger RC.Recognition and differential diagnosis of psychosis in primary care.Am Fam Physician. 2015;91(12):856-863Postpartum Support International.Postpartum psychosis.Fiorentini A, Cantu F, Cristani C, Cereda G, Oldani L, Barmbilla P.Substance-induced psychoses: an updated literature review.Front Psychiatry.2021;12:694863. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2021.694863Alzheimer’s Society.Urinary tract infections and dementia.MedlinePlus.Psychosis.Marcinkowska M, Śniecikowska J, Fajkis N, Paśko P, Franczyk W, Kołaczkowski M.Management of dementia-related psychosis, agitation and aggression: a review of the pharmacology and clinical effects of potential drug candidates.CNS Drugs. 2020;34(3):243-268. doi:10.1007/s40263-020-00707-7Sedgwick O, Hardy A, Newbery K, Cella M.A systematic review of adherence to group interventions in psychosis: do people attend?.Psychol Med. 2021;51(5):707-715. doi:10.1017/S0033291721000404

11 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Arciniegas DB.Psychosis.Continuum (Minneap Minn). 2015;21(3):715-736. doi:10.1212/01.CON.0000466662.89908.e7National Institute of Mental Health.Fact sheet: first episode psychosis.Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).Table 3.20: DSM-IV to DSM-5 psychotic disorders. In:Impact of the DSM-IV to DSM-5 Changes on the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Rockville (MD): SAMHSA; 2016.National Association of Mental Illness.Early psychosis and psychosis.​​Griswold KS, Del Regno PA, Berger RC.Recognition and differential diagnosis of psychosis in primary care.Am Fam Physician. 2015;91(12):856-863Postpartum Support International.Postpartum psychosis.Fiorentini A, Cantu F, Cristani C, Cereda G, Oldani L, Barmbilla P.Substance-induced psychoses: an updated literature review.Front Psychiatry.2021;12:694863. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2021.694863Alzheimer’s Society.Urinary tract infections and dementia.MedlinePlus.Psychosis.Marcinkowska M, Śniecikowska J, Fajkis N, Paśko P, Franczyk W, Kołaczkowski M.Management of dementia-related psychosis, agitation and aggression: a review of the pharmacology and clinical effects of potential drug candidates.CNS Drugs. 2020;34(3):243-268. doi:10.1007/s40263-020-00707-7Sedgwick O, Hardy A, Newbery K, Cella M.A systematic review of adherence to group interventions in psychosis: do people attend?.Psychol Med. 2021;51(5):707-715. doi:10.1017/S0033291721000404

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Arciniegas DB.Psychosis.Continuum (Minneap Minn). 2015;21(3):715-736. doi:10.1212/01.CON.0000466662.89908.e7National Institute of Mental Health.Fact sheet: first episode psychosis.Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).Table 3.20: DSM-IV to DSM-5 psychotic disorders. In:Impact of the DSM-IV to DSM-5 Changes on the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Rockville (MD): SAMHSA; 2016.National Association of Mental Illness.Early psychosis and psychosis.​​Griswold KS, Del Regno PA, Berger RC.Recognition and differential diagnosis of psychosis in primary care.Am Fam Physician. 2015;91(12):856-863Postpartum Support International.Postpartum psychosis.Fiorentini A, Cantu F, Cristani C, Cereda G, Oldani L, Barmbilla P.Substance-induced psychoses: an updated literature review.Front Psychiatry.2021;12:694863. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2021.694863Alzheimer’s Society.Urinary tract infections and dementia.MedlinePlus.Psychosis.Marcinkowska M, Śniecikowska J, Fajkis N, Paśko P, Franczyk W, Kołaczkowski M.Management of dementia-related psychosis, agitation and aggression: a review of the pharmacology and clinical effects of potential drug candidates.CNS Drugs. 2020;34(3):243-268. doi:10.1007/s40263-020-00707-7Sedgwick O, Hardy A, Newbery K, Cella M.A systematic review of adherence to group interventions in psychosis: do people attend?.Psychol Med. 2021;51(5):707-715. doi:10.1017/S0033291721000404

Arciniegas DB.Psychosis.Continuum (Minneap Minn). 2015;21(3):715-736. doi:10.1212/01.CON.0000466662.89908.e7

National Institute of Mental Health.Fact sheet: first episode psychosis.

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).Table 3.20: DSM-IV to DSM-5 psychotic disorders. In:Impact of the DSM-IV to DSM-5 Changes on the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Rockville (MD): SAMHSA; 2016.

National Association of Mental Illness.Early psychosis and psychosis.​​

Griswold KS, Del Regno PA, Berger RC.Recognition and differential diagnosis of psychosis in primary care.Am Fam Physician. 2015;91(12):856-863

Postpartum Support International.Postpartum psychosis.

Fiorentini A, Cantu F, Cristani C, Cereda G, Oldani L, Barmbilla P.Substance-induced psychoses: an updated literature review.Front Psychiatry.2021;12:694863. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2021.694863

Alzheimer’s Society.Urinary tract infections and dementia.

MedlinePlus.Psychosis.

Marcinkowska M, Śniecikowska J, Fajkis N, Paśko P, Franczyk W, Kołaczkowski M.Management of dementia-related psychosis, agitation and aggression: a review of the pharmacology and clinical effects of potential drug candidates.CNS Drugs. 2020;34(3):243-268. doi:10.1007/s40263-020-00707-7

Sedgwick O, Hardy A, Newbery K, Cella M.A systematic review of adherence to group interventions in psychosis: do people attend?.Psychol Med. 2021;51(5):707-715. doi:10.1017/S0033291721000404

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