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Symptoms - Psychosis

Having symptoms of psychosis is sometimes called having a psychotic episode.

The main symptoms of psychosis are:

  • hallucinations
  • delusions
  • confused and disturbed thoughts
  • disruptive behaviour

Hallucinations

Hallucinations are when you experience things that do not exist outside your mind, for example.

  • sight - seeing colours, shapes or people
  • sounds - hearing voices or other sounds
  • touch - feeling touched when there is nobody there
  • smell - an odour that other people cannot smell
  • taste - a taste when there is nothing in your mouth

Delusions

A delusion is where you believe something, but this belief is not shared by other people.

You may believe an individual or group is planning to hurt or kill you.

If you have grandiose delusions, you may believe you have special power or authority. You may think you're the president of a country, or have the power to bring people back from the dead.

Confused and disturbed thoughts

If you have psychosis, you may have disturbed and confused patterns of thought.

Signs of this include:

  • rapid and constant speech
  • disturbed speech - for example, you may switch from one topic to another mid-sentence
  • a sudden loss in your train of thought, resulting in a sudden pause in conversation or activity

Lack of insight

If you have a psychotic episode, you may not be aware that your delusions or hallucinations are not real. You may feel frightened or distressed.

Disruptive behaviour

You may behave in a way that is unusual for you at work or in social situations.

Postnatal psychosis

Postnatal psychosis (postpartum psychosis) is a severe form of postnatal depression. It usually happens in the first few weeks after having a baby.

It is more likely to affect women who already have a mental health difficulty.

Symptoms of postnatal psychosis

Urgent advice: Contact your GP immediately if:

  • you think you or someone you know has signs of postnatal psychosis

Call 112 or 999 and ask for an ambulance if you think the person might harm themself or their baby.

Psychosis is not the same as psychopath

Psychosis and 'psychopath' are not the same thing.

Psychosis is a short-term (acute) mental health difficulty. Treatment often leads to a full recovery. If you have psychosis, you are more likely to harm yourself than others.

Some people use the word psychopath as an insult or in an unkind way.

They use it to describe people who:

  • find it hard to feel empathy - the capacity to understand how someone else feels
  • exploit, manipulate or violate the rights of others
  • often do not care about the consequences of their actions
  • find it hard to feel concern, regret or remorse about other people's distress
  • focus on what is best for them and do not think about other people's feelings

These are personality traits that are also symptoms of antisocial personality disorder.


Content supplied by the NHS and adapted for Ireland by the HSE

Page last reviewed: 1 May 2025
Next review due: 1 May 2028