What is psychosis?

Psychosis impacts on the way a person understands their reality, such as seeing, hearing or believing things that others don’t. When people experience these symptoms, mental health professionals say they are having a psychotic episode. Psychotic episodes can vary in length, they can last for a few days, can continue indefinitely until they are treated or they can come and go.

A first episode of psychosis often happens in late adolescence or young adulthood. It can be very frightening but it’s important to remember that psychosis can be treated. It’s best to get advice and treatment early, as soon as people start experiencing symptoms.

What causes psychosis?

There is no one cause of psychosis. It can be a symptom of a serious mental health problems such as biploar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorder or severe depression. It can also be triggered by using recreational drugs, a side effect of some prescription medications, or from experiencing trauma, abuse, extreme stress or lack of sleep. Sometimes psychosis runs in families and is thought to have a genetic link.

How do I know if I have psychosis?

Psychosis isn’t a very common and just because you experience some of the signs below doesn’t mean you definitely have psychosis. Only trained professionals can make a diagnosis so if you are worried then see your GP as soon as possible.

Signs of psychosis:

  • Unusual ideas or false beliefs, that are often very frightening – Sometimes people with psychosis believe that other people or organisations are out to get them, are spying on them and want to hurt or even kill them. Others believe they have a special power such as being able to control other people’s thoughts or that they are someone important such as the son of God, the prime minter or a celebrity. These sorts of beliefs can make people feel more cheerful and are not always distressing in themselves. However, the fact that no one else recognises how important they are may make the person feel distressed or angry.
  • Hallucinations – seeing, hearing, smelling or feeling things that aren’t there or that’s others don’t see. Auditory hallucinations such as hearing voices are a common sign of psychosis, these voices are entirely real to the person who is hearing them, so they may talk back or hold a conversation with them. Voices might say, upsetting critical, cruel and frightening things and this can be very distressing. Some voices tell people what to do and can sometimes cause them to take risks or harm themselves. However, not all people who hear voices have psychosis.
  • Confused and jumbled thinking – people with psychosis may find it hard to concentrate or understand things and feel muddled and confused. They might feel that their mind is full of random ideas and their thinking is faster or slower than normal. This is sometimes reflected in the way they speak, they might speak very quickly or say things that don’t make sense.
  • Changes in feelings – experiencing mood swings or feeling isolated and cut off from the world for example. Sometimes people feel low or depressed, or they may feel unusually excited or high for no reason.
  • Changes in behaviour – people might start to behave in odd or unusual ways as a result of their beliefs and hallucinations, and may seem very different to how they were before. Sometimes people have lots of energy and are very active at night for example, or they may have no energy, isolate themselves and struggle to do normal activities. They might laugh at things that don’t seem funny, become upset without an obvious cause or talk to people others can’t see or hear. Their school work and grades might drop or stop going to school, work or social activities. They might struggle to sleep at night, lose their appetite or interest in food, or stop taking care of themselves.

What helps?

If you are worried that you or someone else is experiencing symptoms of psychosis it is important to get professional help as soon as possible. Psychosis is a treatable condition, but is unlikely to go away by itself without treatment.

Treatment for psychosis might include information and education about the condition and how to manage symptoms, counselling or therapy such as CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy), and medication. Medication can be very effective in treating psychosis. You should check out Headmeds for more information about antipsychotic medications.

How can I help myself?

Changes you can make yourself to help:

  • Making lifestyle changes such as learning to manage stress, looking after your diet and exercising
  • Avoiding drugs and alcohol
  • Make sure you are getting enough sleep

CAMHS Access Team

Who are they?

The CAMHS access team is the first point of contact for requests for help and where all referrals are triaged and allocated to the most appropriate service. The key philosophy is to ensure that the child or young person gets the right help at the right time and in the right place.

What services do they provide?

  • Referral triaging

When are they open?

9am – 5pm, Monday to Friday (excluding Bank Holidays)

Where?

New County Hall Treyew Road, Truro TR1 3AY Cornwall

How do I refer?

Cornwall CAMHS take referrals from any source, including parents or self-referrals. There is a referral form that is sent to a central multi-agency Hub based in County Hall in Truro. Each referral is carefully screened by a CAMHS clinician.

For more information visit: cornwall.gov.uk/earlyhelp or call: 01872 322277

Who can be referred?

Children and young people who are aged pre-birth to 18. If a young person has a special educational need or disability, who have a need for early help care and support, this is extended up to age 25.

Community CAMHS Teams

Who are they?

The Community CAMHS Teams.

What Mental Health conditions do they support?

  • Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
  • Tic Disorder
  • Depression
  • Anxiety
  • Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
  • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
  • Complex Trauma
  • Psychosis
  • Manic Disorder
  • Anorexia
  • Bulimia
  • Self-Harm
  • Mental Health Crisis
  • Conduct Disorder
  • Personality Disorder

What services do they provide?

Children and young people who have completed an assessment with the service and meet the criteria can be offered intervention and/or specialist assessment within one of our care pathways by the Community CAMHS teams. These mainly describe the process of care within getting help although for some needs they extend into getting more help or describe the offer of advice and support from getting advice services.

When are they open?

9am – 5pm, Monday to Friday (excluding Bank Holidays)

Where?

West (Kerrier): The Hive, Kernow Building, Wilson Way, Pool, TR15 3QE

West (Penwith): Bolitho House, Laregan Hill, Penzance, TR18 4NY

Mid (Restormal): Shaw House, Porthpean Road, St Austell, PL26 6AD

Mid (Carrick): Truro Health Park, Infirmary Hill, Truro, TR1 2JA

East (North East/ Bodmin): Launceston Integrated CAMHS and Children's Centre, Coronation Park, Launceston, PL15 9DQ

East (South East): 6A Heathlands Business Park, Liskeard, PL14 4DH

How do I refer?

Cornwall CAMHS take referrals from any source, including parents or self-referrals. There is a referral form that is sent to a central multi-agency Hub based in County Hall in Truro. Each referral is carefully screened by a CAMHS clinician.

For more information visit: cornwall.gov.uk/earlyhelp or call:

West (Kerrier): 01209 204000

West (Penwith): 01736 571070

Mid (Restormal): 01726 873292

Mid (Carrick): 01872 221446

East (North East/ Bodmin): 01566 761100

East (South East): 01579 373850

Who can be referred?

They accept referrals for children and young people up to the age of 18 years. This includes those with a learning disability and/or neuro–developmental disability who are registered with a GP based within Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

A referral that doesn’t meet the threshold for a specialist intervention, but the child has a moderate level of impairment can be allocated to the Primary Mental Health Team (PMHT). These workers are specialists in early interventions in mental health and will offer consultation and advice. They have some limited capacity to offer some solution focussed interventions.

CAMHS Access Team

Who are they?

The CAMHS Psychiatric Liaison Service.

What services do they provide?

The CAMHS Psychiatric Liaison Service provide assessment and intervention to young people who have been admitted to RCHT following self-harm/overdose, are in psychosocial crisis, or are experiencing (suspected) symptoms of acute mental illness; all referrals to the CAMHS Psychiatric Liaison Service come via RCHT staff via Bodmin Switchboard.

When are they open?

24 hours a day, 7 days a week

Where?

IMPACT Hub(non-patient area) Royal Cornwall Hospital, Treliske, Truro Cornwall TR1 3LJ

How do I refer?

All referrals to the CAMHS Psychiatric Liaison Service come via RCHT staff via Bodmin Switchboard (01208 251300).

Who can be referred?

Children and young people who are aged pre-birth to 18. If a young person has a special educational need or disability, who have a need for early help care and support, this is extended up to age 25.

Myth buster #1

Myth: People with Psychosis are often violent or dangerous

Fact: While this is how psychosis is often portrayed in films and TV shows, actually people with psychosis are often very frightened and it is more likely that they will be the victim of violence or of harm to themselves than to anyone else.

Myth buster #2

Myth: A person with psychosis has a ‘split personality’

Fact: This is a myth created in popular culture. Having an episode of psychosis might mean that someone behaves strangely; sees, hears or smells that aren’t really there (Hullucinations); or has unusual beliefs and ideas about themselves or the world (delusions) which are sometimes very frightening and confusing. Psychosis is a treatable illness and it is important that prople are encouraged to get help as soon as possible.

Useful resources

Rpsych

Detailed information for young people about psychosis, from the Royal College of Psychiatrists website

Headmeds

Everything you want to know about medication for mental health problems – app and website

Need help now?

If you need to speak to someone urgently call your GP or family doctor!

or

NHS 24/7 helpline : 0800 038 5300
Childline up to 19 yrs: 0800 1111
The Samaritans: 116 123
In an emergency go to A&E or call 999