Psychosis

Psychosis is a mental state in which a person loses contact with reality, experiencing hallucinations, delusions or severely disorganized thinking.

Hallucinations are perceptions without an external source, most often hearing voices; delusions are fixed false beliefs held despite evidence, such as being persecuted or controlled. Psychosis is a symptom rather than a single diagnosis and occurs in schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, severe depression, delirium, dementia and as a result of certain drugs or medical illnesses. A first episode most often appears in the late teens to late twenties.

Assessment involves a psychiatric interview, collateral history from family, and medical tests to exclude substance effects or physical causes. Early intervention services are widely recommended because prompt care improves outcomes. High-potency THC use is associated with an increased risk of psychosis in susceptible people, whereas cannabidiol has been studied as a possible antipsychotic in early trials; no cannabinoid is approved for this purpose.