Psychosis is a mental health problem that causes a person to lose some touch with reality and causes severe disturbances in behaviour, thinking and emotions; often slow to progress; and is less common than other mental health problems, such as schizophrenia.

Possible Signs of Psychosis

Behavioural Cues

  • Strange posturing
  • Odd or bizarre behaviour
  • Feeling refreshed after much less sleep than normal
  • Excessive writing without meaning
  • Cutting oneself; threats of self-mutilation
  • Deterioration of personal hygiene
  • Hyperactivity or inactivity, or alternating between the two
  • Staring without blinking – or blinking incessantly
  • Agitation
  • Severe sleep disturbances

Intellectual Cues

  • Things around them seem changed in some way
  • Rapid speech that is difficult to interrupt
  • Irrational statements
  • Extreme preoccupation with religion or with the occult
  • Peculiar use of words or odd language structures
  • Unusual sensitivity to stimuli (noise, light, colours, textures)
  • Severe Distractibility
  • Memory problems

Social Cues

  • Sensitivity and irritability when touched by others
  • Refusal to touch persons or objects; wearing gloves, etc.
  • Severe deterioration of social relationships
  • Dropping out of activities – or out of life in general
  • Social withdrawal, isolation, and reclusive
  • Unexpected aggression
  • Suspiciousness

Emotional Cues

  • Inappropriate laughter
  • Inability to cry, or excessive crying
  • Feelings of depression and anxiety
  • Inability to express joy
  • Euphoric mood Personality
  • Reckless behaviours that are out of character
  • Significantly prolonged drops in motivation or speech
  • Shift in basic personality
View Additional Resources

Types of Mental Health Problems

Disorder Disclaimer

The following are mental health problems (as defined by Reardon and Factor, 2010; Gardner and Moore, 2006; Mental Health Commission of Canada – Mental Health First Aid Canada, 2011).

Supporting ‘red flag’ examples are also provided to initiate the awareness and early detection of mental health problems. Please note this is not an exhaustive list, but a breakdown of some common mental health problems and the corresponding physical and psychological symptoms to look out for.