A first episode of psychosis often strikes with a storm of alterations in how a person experiences the world ranging from hearing voices to bizarre beliefs and speech or behaviors that are difficult to follow or understand. The typical age of onset is in adolescence and young adulthood just as someone is walking into ventures such as college, the work world, romantic relationships, and all the beautiful things that make up emerging adulthood. An episode of psychosis can present a detour to one's plans.

Yet, the process is not usually all at once. Within the early rumblings of psychosis, a person may lose interest in activities, motivation, and social engagement. The prodromal phase can mark a fading away that often goes unnoticed.

But what if we could catch the condition before it starts? Is there anything we can do to stop it?

Psychosis is known for its hallmark symptoms of delusions, hallucinations, and disorganized thinking. An individual might be described as having a "psychotic break" from reality or the first episode of psychosis. Yet, the beginnings of psychosis are typically much more subtle.

The term "clinically high risk of psychosis" is utilized to describe individuals who have been deemed at a heightened risk of developing psychotic disorders. This could include individuals who have a first-degree relative with a psychotic disorder or who have a schizotypal personality disorder that places them at increased vulnerability of developing psychosis and those with subthreshold psychotic-like symptoms. Subthreshold symptoms could include things like unusual thoughts that do not quite reach a level of delusion or that can still be challenged. Another example could be alterations in perceptions such as visual illusions or distortion in senses that........

© Psychology Today