Trauma can trigger psychosis – and talk therapy can help treat both

If you hear “psychosis”, what do you think of? Many people believe psychosis is a brain disorder and only hear about it on the news in relation to a violent or traumatic crime.

In fact, psychosis is not a diagnosis.

It’s a collection of symptoms that affect your mind and how you interpret the world.

People experiencing psychosis are more likely to be a risk to themselves than others .

And we now know trauma can increase your risk of developing psychosis.

A growing body of research shows using “talk therapy” to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) – a psychiatric condition some people develop after experiencing trauma – can also effectively treat psychosis.

But we still don’t routinely assess and treat trauma in people with psychosis.

Here’s why we should.

What is psychosis? People with psychosis may experience hallucinations (seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting or feeling things that are not present) and delusions (strongly held beliefs that are not shared by others, often rooted in fears of harm from others or paranoia).

For some, psychosis can be a one-off episode, in response to acute stress.

Others may develop recurrent or persistent difficulties, and receive a diagnosis of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.

Read more: Lessons from Bondi Junction attack show what we really need from schizophrenia care Psychosis can affect thinking skills, so you may struggle to concentrate, or have jumbled thoughts and speech.

And it can affect emotions and motivation, making you feel flat and isolated, or triggering mood swings.

How can trauma trigger psychosis? People who have experienced traumatic life events, particularly in childhood, are three times more likely to go on and develop psychosis than those who don’t.