What are the stages of Psychosis?

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Prodromal Stage
Certain signs may occur for a few months or even a few years prior to the onset of psychosis, such as deterioration in one’s social life, academic performance, working abilities, or psychological conditions. The patient may also display some of the prodromal symptoms such as insomnia, paranoia, difficulty in concentration, depression, anxiety, and irritability. These symptoms are vague and not obvious, and are therefore often overlooked instead of being treated as prodromal symptoms of psychosis. If a friend or a family member displays the above symptoms for a substantial period, professional help may be needed.

Active Stage
Patients in the active stage may display obvious symptoms such as thought disorders, delusions and hallucinations. If someone you know displays these symptoms, they should seek help as soon as possible. If the affected individual can receive treatment earlier on, usually these symptoms can be under control quickly and the outcome is likely to be better.

Recovery Stage/ Residual Stage
Most patients are able to recover after treatment, however, the time needed for recovery is variable for each individual. During the course of recovery, it is possible for the patient to continue to display some symptoms, such as reluctance to interact with people, apathy towards their surroundings, lack of speech, insomnia/oversleeping, mood disturbances or aberrant behaviours. The improvement of these symptoms may take a much longer period, and help from different professionals and support from wider community is crucial. Once the individual has entered the recovery stage, we should be prepared in order to prevent any relapses.