Psychosis

Psychosis is a complex mental health disorder where a person loses the capacity to tell what is real from what is not. The causes are equally complex; genetics, early childhood development, adverse life experiences, drug use and other factors increase a person’s risk of experiencing psychosis.

Psychosis often occurs as a part of other mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder or bipolar affective disorder and is experienced as a ‘an episode’: a period of acute symptoms. Symptoms will vary from person to person and even between one episode and another, these may include:

• Hallucinations
• Delusions
• Paranoia
• Disordered thinking and/or disordered behaviour

Treatment

Psychosis is treatable, once you have been assessed by a GP and referred for treatment, Dr Catherine Nyuthe will work with you to recommend the best treatment option for your diagnosis and circumstances. Treatment may be required only for a short time or may last for many years and includes antipsychotic medication as well as therapy. If Dr Nyuthe believes another psychiatrist would be better suited to meet your particular needs, she may suggest a referral on to them, instead.