The simple idea
Suppose someone says "I hear voices." A beginner thinks "schizophrenia." But the same experience can come from very different places:
- a mood problem (severe depression or mania can bring on psychosis)
- a substance (some drugs trigger it)
- a medical or brain illness (an infection, a chemical imbalance, a fever)
- or a primary psychiatric condition like schizophrenia.
A picture for your mind 🗺️
Think of psychosis as a signpost at a crossroads — it tells you something's wrong, but several roads lead to it. The doctor's job is to walk back and find which road this person actually came from, by asking:
- When did it start — suddenly (hours) or slowly (months)?
- Is the person's attention and awareness clear, or foggy and drifting?
- Any substances? Any physical illness?
- What's happened to their daily life?
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One safety rule to remember 🚨
If confusion comes on suddenly, the person can't hold their attention, and they seem drowsy or "not quite there" — think of a medical emergency (delirium) first, not a psychiatric diagnosis. (We'll meet this properly in Concept 15.)
Quick check ✅
- Name three different causes of psychosis besides schizophrenia.
- What's the one‑word question that opens the whole investigation?
Remember this 🌟
Where we're going next → Let's look closely at the two most famous symptoms — starting with delusions (Concept 10).