Early intervention in psychosis is a clinical approach to those experiencing symptoms of psychosis for the first time. It forms part of a new prevention paradigm for psychiatry and is leading to reform of mental health services, especially in the United Kingdom and Australia.
Prodrome
The prodromal phase is the period during which the individual is experiencing changes in feelings, thought, perceptions and behaviour although they have not yet started experiencing clear psychotic symptoms such as hallucinations, delusions or thought disorder.
First Episode Psychosis (FEP) is characterized by disruptions to a person's thoughts and perceptions that make it difficult for them to realize what is real and what is not. The disruptions can include seeing hearing and believing things that are not real or having strange persistent thoughts, behaviors, and emotions.
Trauma. Events such as a death, sexual assault, or war can trigger an episode. But other life events such as pregnancy and childbirth, accidents, loss of a job, or trouble with the law can also put you at risk for one. Substance use.
Psychosis can be treated, and many people make a good recovery, especially if they get help early. Treatment may be recommended either on an outpatient basis or in hospital. It usually consists of medication and psychosocial interventions (e.g., counselling).
Signs of early or first-episode psychosis
Hearing, seeing, tasting or believing things that others don't. Persistent, unusual thoughts or beliefs that can't be set aside regardless of what others believe. Strong and inappropriate emotions or no emotions at all.
Your experience of psychosis will usually develop gradually over a period of 2 weeks or less. You are likely to fully recover within a few months, weeks or days.
Antipsychotics. Antipsychotic medicines are usually recommended as the first treatment for psychosis. They work by blocking the effect of dopamine, a chemical that transmits messages in the brain.
Before an episode of psychosis begins, you will likely experience early warning signs. Warning signs can include depression, anxiety, feeling "different" or feeling like your thoughts have sped up or slowed down. These signs can be vague and hard to understand, especially in the first episode of psychosis.
What Drugs can send you into Psychosis? The drugs that are often reported in cases of drug-induced psychosis, and are most likely to result in psychotic symptoms, include cannabis, cocaine, amphetamines, methamphetamine, psychedelic drugs such as LSD, and club drugs such as ecstasy and MDMA.
Many people with substance-induced psychoses will later transition to a diagnosis of schizophrenia, but estimates vary widely between early psychosis services and population-based registers.
Psychosis could be triggered by a number of things, such as: Physical illness or injury. You may see or hear things if you have a high fever, head injury, or lead or mercury poisoning. If you have Alzheimer's disease or Parkinson's disease you may also experience hallucinations or delusions.
Evidence suggests that early treatment—and a shorter DUP—promotes better symptom improvement and overall functioning in everyday life. There is yet inadequate proof to say conclusively that psychosis causes permanent brain damage.
Can Psychosis Go Away on Its Own? If the psychosis is a one-time event, such as with brief psychotic disorder, or substance-induced psychotic break, it may go away on its own. However, if the psychosis is a result of an underlying mental health disorder, it is unlikely the psychosis will go away naturally.
In fact, many medical experts today believe there is potential for all individuals to recover from psychosis, to some extent. Experiencing psychosis may feel like a nightmare, but being told your life is over after having your first episode is just as scary.
The onset of first episode psychosis typically presents when an individual is between the ages of 18-25, however, may present between the ages of 15-40. It is uncommon for first episode psychosis to present in childhood.
Brain tumors and brain injury.
Some brain tumors may cause psychotic symptoms that seem like schizophrenia. Likewise, people who've had a traumatic brain injury may have symptoms such as psychosis.
People who experience psychosis are said to 'lose touch' with reality, which may involve seeing things, hearing voices or having delusions. These can be extremely frightening, or make someone feel confused or threatened.
First episode psychosis (FEP) is defined as the first time a person outwardly shows symptoms of psychosis. When patients with FEP become aware of their problems, they show distress and confusion, ruminate their symptoms, and have interpersonal problems caused by enhanced sensitivity (1).
In fact, people with psychosis, including people who have schizophrenia, can live full, meaningful lives. They can work, get married, have kids and do the same things everyone else does in life.
It was once believed that schizophrenia gets worse with age, but recent research suggests that while some symptoms will get worse, others will remain stable, and some symptoms may actually improve. The symptoms of schizophrenia fall into three main categories: Positive symptoms.
Psychosis is sometimes mistaken for a mental illness, but it is actually a symptom that can be triggered by chronic substance abuse, some medical conditions, and certain mental illnesses. Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are two mental illnesses associated with psychosis, but severe anxiety can trigger it as well.
Psychotic disorders are severe mental disorders that cause abnormal thinking and perceptions. People with psychoses lose touch with reality.