
Psycho, psychotic, psychosis. The words get thrown around by everyone from newsreaders to the guy in the pub talking about his ex, and feed into a fog of stigma and misinformation that can make it feel impossible to talk about living with hallucinations and delusions. In reality, psychosis affects 6% of the UK population at some point in their lives. It can be caused by a huge range of factors, from sleep deprivation and certain medications to bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. This guide digs into what psychosis really means, what it feels like, and how to handle its effects along with tackling stigma and other people's misconceptions.