Early Stage Psychosis

What is Early Stage Psychosis?

A child's hand holding a paintbrush with finger paints and splattered colorful paints on white paper and table, surrounded by bottles of paint and containers of mixed colors.

Psychosis is a mental disorder that affects the way a person processes information, causing them to become disconnected from reality.

They experience disruptions to their thoughts and perceptions that make it difficult to determine what’s real and not real. These disruptions can be experienced as seeing, hearing, and believing things that aren’t real or having strange, persistent thoughts, behaviors, and emotions.

Early Stage Psychosis is when a person starts showing signs of losing contact with reality. Acting quickly to connect someone to appropriate treatment during early psychosis can significantly improve their future. Learn more about Early Stage Psychosis below.

Knowledge is Power

Infographic titled 'An Overview of Early Stage Psychosis' explaining early stage psychosis, its prevalence, and signs. Includes a pink brain illustration, statistics on prevalence in the US, and brief descriptions in brown and orange fonts.

An Overview of Early Stage Psychosis

Learn more about the prevalence of Early Stage Psychosis, symptoms, risk factors, and more with this infographic

Close-up of hands typing on a laptop with a stethoscope resting nearby on a wooden desk.
Two people working together at a computer in an office, with three more people working at their desks in the background.

Understanding a First Episode of Psychosis - Young Adults

Learn more about what a psychosis diagnosis means, the causes of psychosis, various treatment approaches, and other resources for young adults with this factsheet from the SAMHSA

Understanding Psychosis

Learn about what psychosis is, who develops it, various treatments, and resources with this factsheet from the NIMH

In the News

A woman with red hair sitting on a couch holding a young child in a white shirt, while another child with blonde hair is sitting next to her, all watching a tablet.

Researchers Uncover Possible New Biomarker for Psychosis Diagnosis

AVATAR: a digital therapy that could help people who hear voices

Targeting Psychosis: Getting Help Early to Adolescents and Young Adult

Study shows promise for early detection and intervention in psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia

In Print and Video

Explaining psychosis with Panda and Echidna (a headspace video)

What is Psychosis?

Pretend Friends: A story about psychosis
A humorous illustrated book cover titled 'Please Stop Smiling' by Richard Carlson Jr., illustrated by Kevin Carlson, showing two men drinking from juice boxes with straws, both smiling.
Book cover titled 'Daylight: A True Story of Childhood Schizophrenia' featuring a young boy sitting on a red chair surrounded by drawings of geometric shapes, a puppy, and a toy block.
Book cover titled 'Helicopter Man' by Elizabeth Fensham, featuring illustrations of two helicopters, one green and one black, on a reddish background.

Resources

Logo of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), featuring a stylized hand and the organization's name.
Logo for Early Psychosis Intervention with a green arc and purple text
NIH logo with gray hexagon and black letters, followed by 'National Institute of Mental Health' in black text.
Logo for NASMHPD with blue background and white text
Stanford Medicine logo with red shield and white symbols
EASA logo featuring a compass rose and the text 'EASA Early Assessment & Support Alliance'.