Psychosis is a collection of symptoms which affect a person’s thoughts, feelings, and behavior. Symptoms can appear suddenly or gradually. Examples of these symptoms include:
Beliefs not based in reality (delusions)
Experiences of things which aren’t there (hallucinations)
Jumbled thoughts and speech (disorganized thinking)
Limited emotional expression (flat affect)
Loss of motivation
Social withdrawal
Distinct changes in behavior
Psychosis is more common than many people realize. About 3% of people experience an episode of psychosis at some point in their lives. While schizophrenia is the most common cause of a first episode of psychosis (FEP), many who experience psychosis never develop schizophrenia.