Understanding Psychosis
The word psychosis is used to describe conditions that affect the mind, where there has been some loss of contact with reality. When someone becomes ill in this way, it is called a psychotic episode. During a period of psychosis, a person's thoughts and perceptions are disturbed, and the individual may have difficulty understanding what is real and what is not.
What are the signs and symptoms of psychosis?
Typically, a person will show changes in behavior before psychosis develops. Behavioral warning signs for psychosis include:
- Sudden drop in grades or job performance
- New trouble thinking clearly or concentrating
- Suspiciousness, paranoid ideas, or uneasiness with others
- Withdrawing socially, spending a lot more time alone than usual
- Unusual, overly intense new ideas, strange feelings, or no feelings at all
- Decline in self-care or personal hygiene
- Difficulty telling reality from fantasy
- Confused speech or trouble communicating
Symptoms of psychosis include delusions (false beliefs) and hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that others do not see or hear). Other symptoms include incoherent or nonsense speech and behavior that is inappropriate for the situation. A person in a psychotic episode also may experience depression, anxiety, sleep problems, social withdrawal, lack of motivation, and difficulty functioning overall. Someone experiencing any of the symptoms on this list should consult a mental health professional.
Notice of Nondiscrimination
The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (“UTHealth Houston”) and UT Physicians comply with applicable Federal civil rights laws and do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex. UTHealth Houston and UT Physicians do not exclude people or treat them less favorably because of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex.
UTHealth Houston and UT Physicians:
- Provide people with disabilities reasonable modifications and free appropriate auxiliary aids and services to communicate effectively with us, such as:
- Qualified sign language interpreters.
- Written information in other formats (large print, audio, accessible electronic formats, other formats).
- Provide free language assistance services to people whose primary language is not English, which may include:
- Qualified interpreters
- Information written in other languages.
If you need reasonable modifications, appropriate auxiliary aids and services, or language assistance services, contact clinic staff.
If you believe that UTHealth Houston or UT Physicians has failed to provide these services or discriminated in another way on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex, you can file a grievance with: University Relations & Equal Opportunity, Section 1557 Coordinator, 7000 Fannin, Suite 150, Houston, Texas 77030, 713-500-2255, or by email at [email protected]. You can file a grievance in person or by mail, phone, or email. If you need help filing a grievance, the University Relations & Equal Opportunity, Section 1557 Coordinator is available to help you.
You can also file a civil rights complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights, electronically through the Office for Civil Rights Complaint Portal, available at https://ocrportal.hhs.gov/ocr/portal/lobby.jsf, or by mail or phone at:
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
200 Independence Avenue, SW
Room 509F, HHH Building
Washington, D.C. 20201
1-800-368-1019, 800-537-7697 (TDD)
Complaint forms are available at http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/office/file/index.html.
Contact Us
Call 713-500-1500 to connect with one of our experienced behavioral health experts. We are available on-site 24/7 to talk with you.
If you are in a mental health crisis and in need of immediate help, please call 988 or seek care at your closest emergency room.