Psychosis and schizophrenia are two terms used to describe mental health crises, but they are not the same thing. Psychosis is a group of symptoms that causes a person to lose touch with reality. Schizophrenia, on the other hand, is a mental health condition that persists, disrupting a person’s quality of life long-term. While there is overlap between these conditions, there are also key differences.  

What is Psychosis?

Psychosis can feel like you are losing your grip on reality—it is disorienting, confusing, and scary. However, psychosis is temporary. It typically manifests as psychotic episodes, also known as psychotic breaks, which last for a short period of time.

By definition, psychosis is a collection of symptoms that affect a person’s mind, making it difficult to understand what is real and what is not. During an episode of psychosis, a person might experience delusions, hallucinations, and distorted thought patterns. They may exhibit disorganized thinking or fragmented speech, and sound panicked or confused. 

Psychosis can happen to anyone. Psychosis can be caused by disorders like epilepsy and dementia, traumatic brain injuries, severe sleep deprivation, extreme stress, and even substance abuse. Typically, though, periods of psychosis indicate an underlying mental health disorder. Psychosis can be a symptom of schizophrenia, for example, but also of conditions like depression and bipolar disorder. 

Depending on the cause of psychosis, it can re-occur in certain individuals. It’s estimated that one in four people who experience psychosis will not have another episode. However, people with mental health conditions like schizophrenia are more likely to have recurring psychotic breaks.

What is Schizophrenia?

Schizophrenia is a mental health condition that affects a person’s thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Like any mental illness, schizophrenia is a chronic condition that requires specialized treatment and ongoing management. 

Schizophrenia is characterized by distorted perceptions, hallucinations, disordered thinking, paranoia, difficulty communicating, and bizarre behaviors that affect a person’s day-to-day life. It might look like paranoia, or hearing noises/voices that aren’t really there. It might involve making up words, rejecting personal hygiene, or an inability to connect their thoughts. Sounds like psychosis, right?

Psychosis is a tell-tale symptom of schizophrenia. However, psychotic symptoms are often coupled with cognitive symptoms, too, such as difficulty processing information, articulating emotions, thinking logically, and finding pleasure in things. These symptoms together can make it very difficult for a person to participate in daily activities and obligations (like school or work), and for them to socialize or build meaningful relationships.

Schizophrenia affects a person for life, but its symptoms do not hit all at once or stay active for lengthy periods of time. Rather, they typically occur in a cycle of phases. The first stage of schizophrenia, known as the prodromal phase, is not always obvious: A person will gradually withdraw from friends and once-loved activities, as well as find it difficult to concentrate on everyday tasks. This phase can last for weeks or even years. When schizophrenia enters the active phase, though, that’s when psychotic symptoms start to occur. As the active phase passes, symptoms will reduce and a person will move into the residual phase of schizophrenia. They may still feel withdrawn from people and activities, but can generally carry out everyday tasks.

It’s also important to note that schizophrenia is manageable. While there is no specific cure, the symptoms of schizophrenia (including psychotic episodes) can be mitigated and even prevented through a combination of medication and psychotherapy.

How Psychosis and Schizophrenia are Related

As suggested above, psychosis is a symptom of schizophrenia. People with schizophrenia will always display psychosis in some form. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders (v), there are five diagnostic criteria for schizophrenia, four of which are signs of psychosis. A person must meet at least two of these criteria to be diagnosed with this condition.

However, a person can experience psychosis (or psychotic episodes) without having schizophrenia. It’s estimated that three percent of young adults will experience an episode of psychosis during their lifetime. However, less than one percent of people has schizophrenia worldwide.

Differences Between Psychosis and Schizophrenia

While they can look similar from the outside in, schizophrenia and psychosis are very different in their:

• Definition: Psychosis is a group of symptoms, while schizophrenia is a chronic mental health disorder.
• Duration: Psychosis is typically short-term, passing when a person recovers from an event or stressor. Psychosis can be longer-term or recurrent, but it is not a chronic condition. Schizophrenia, on the other hand, lasts for a person’s lifetime.
• Causes: Psychosis can be caused by severe stress, sleep deprivation, head injury, medical conditions, or various mental health disorders. Schizophrenia is typically caused by changes in a person’s brain structure, genetics, or environmental factors that contribute to mental illness.
• Symptoms: While schizophrenia is characterized by symptoms of psychosis, it also triggers cognitive symptoms that make it difficult to pay attention, concentrate, and think clearly.
• Treatment: Because it’s shorter-term, psychosis can be treated with a bout of antipsychotic medications, or simply by treating the cause of the psychotic break (e.g. stopping substance abuse, treating a medical condition, or starting therapy). Schizophrenia, however, requires long-term mental health treatment, with a variety of methods like cognitive behavioral therapy and sustained medication to manage symptoms.

Treating Psychosis and Schizophrenia

Both psychosis and schizophrenia can be treated with professional care. However, treatment approaches will vary depending on the case.

For episodes of psychosis, antipsychotic medication is available. However, it’s important to identify the root cause before starting treatment. If psychosis is caused by an overload of stress, or sleep deprivation, for example, a therapist may want to address the root cause of those issues first. If caused by a medical condition like dementia or an injury, it’s important that condition is also treated (first or simultaneously). Substance-induced psychosis can be treated through detoxification and a rehabilitation program.

Of course, if psychosis is triggered by an underlying mental health condition, longer-term psychiatric care is recommended. The specific course of treatment and therapy will depend on whether a person is facing depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, or another mental health disorder. Typically, though, mental health treatment involved a combination of modalities, personalized to a person’s needs.

Schizophrenia and psychosis caused by mental illness is typically treated through a customized treatment plan including, but not limited to:

• Medications, to help manage hallucinations, delusions, and disorganized thinking. If linked to a mood disorder, mood stabilizers may also be recommended.
• Therapy and rehabilitation, which helps sustain a longer-term recovery. Therapy might include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), family therapy, support groups, and other forms of psychotherapy. These are typically offered in a professional, residential treatment setting, where a person has access to 24/7 support and care while they are early in their recovery.
• Lifestyle changes, which position a person for the best chance at a productive, meaningful life. Lifestyle changes often include meditation practices for coping with stress, taking care of one’s body and mind, getting adequate sleep, eating nutritious meals, exercising regularly, and avoiding drugs or alcohol. This will also include creating and sticking to a routine, which can help to give a person structure, predictability, and reduced symptoms throughout the day.

For those battling schizophrenia, a long-term, residential mental health treatment program is the best and most immediate next step. This type of program can ensure you have the support you need, when you need it most, as you get started on your treatment journey. At Turnbridge, young people struggling with symptoms of psychosis and schizophrenia benefit from round-the-clock care, a community of individuals, and comfortable, safe, and serene treatment settings where they can live and heal.

Contact Turnbridge at 877-581-1793 to learn about our mental health treatment programs.