Hume Region Early Psychosis Services

What is Psychosis?

Psychosis describes a state of mind in which a person experiences a distortion of, or loss of contact with reality.

When someone is psychotic they can display the following:

• Confused thinking or difficulty making sense to others
• Strange or unusual ideas that aren’t based on reality
• Seeing, hearing, smelling, feeling or tasting things that others can’t
• Changed feelings; they may feel strange and cut off from the world and their emotions may be dampened or excessive
• Behaving quite differently to usual. They may do odd things as a result of their unusual beliefs. They may be very active or lethargic.
• The young person usually is having difficulty functioning in the role they had prior. Their unwellness has impacted on their work/study/activities and relationships.

The majority of young people who experience a psychosis get better. Getting effective treatment early assists in the recovery process.