Psychosis is a serious mental disorder characterized by thinking and emotions that indicate the person experiencing them has lost contact with reality. People ...PsychosisMedicallyreviewedbyTimothyJ.Legg,Ph.D.,CRNP—WrittenbyEleaCareyonSeptember28,2018SymptomsFalserealitiesCausesRiskfactorsTypesPsychoticdisordersDiagnosisTreatmentOutlookWhatispsychosis?Psychosisischaracterizedbyanimpairedrelationshipwithreality.It’sasymptomofseriousmentaldisorders.Peoplewhoareexperiencingpsychosismayhaveeitherhallucinationsordelusions.Hallucinationsaresensoryexperiencesthatoccurwithintheabsenceofanactualstimulus.Forexample,apersonhavinganauditoryhallucinationmayheartheirmotheryellingatthemwhentheirmotherisn’taround.Orsomeonehavingavisualhallucinationmayseesomething,likeapersoninfrontofthem,whoisn’tactuallythere.Thepersonexperiencingpsychosismayalsohavethoughtsthatarecontrarytoactualevidence.Thesethoughtsareknownasdelusions.Somepeoplewithpsychosismayalsoexperiencelossofmotivationandsocialwithdrawal.Theseexperiencescanbefrightening.Theymayalsocausepeoplewhoareexperiencingpsychosistohurtthemselvesorothers.It’simportanttoseeadoctorrightawayifyouorsomeoneyouknowisexperiencingsymptomsofpsychosis.RecognizingthesymptomsofpsychosisSymptomsofpsychosisinclude:difficultyconcentratingdepressedmoodsleepingtoomuchornotenoughanxietysuspiciousnesswithdrawalfromfamilyandfriendsdelusionshallucinationsdisorganizedspeech,suchasswitchingtopicserraticallydepressionsuicidalthoughtsoractionsSuicidepreventionIfyouthinksomeoneisatimmediateriskofself-harmorhurtinganotherperson:•Call911oryourlocalemergencynumber.•Staywiththepersonuntilhelparrives.•Removeanyguns,knives,medications,orotherthingsthatmaycauseharm.•Listen,butdon’tjudge,argue,threaten,oryell.Ifyouorsomeoneyouknowisconsideringsuicide,gethelpfromacrisisorsuicidepreventionhotline.TrytheNationalSuicidePreventionLifelineat800-273-8255.Whataredelusionsandhallucinations?Delusionsandhallucinationsaretwoverydifferentsymptomsthatarebothoftenexperiencedbypeoplew