Early Intervention for Psychosis Service Bristol

In Bristol between 60 and 70 young people will have their first episode of psychosis each year. Like other problems it can be treated and most people recover.

The Bristol Early Intervention for Psychosis Team specialises in working with people between the ages 14 and 65 in the early stages of psychosis along with their families.

What is psychosis?

A psychotic experience or episode can be distressing and often involves hearing or seeing things that other people can't see or hear. It may also involve unusual beliefs that others don’t share, such as thinking others are trying to harm you or your friends or family. Sometimes it can be difficult to know who can be trusted, especially if you feel
at risk.

There are many different cultural and individual ways of understanding experiences of psychosis. It is important to understand each person’s beliefs about these experiences and to work together to achieve the best outcome.

Early signs of psychosis

Early signs of psychosis can be vague and will vary from person to person. The sort of things you or someone you know might experience are:

Feeling confused, irritable, anxious or depressed;
Feeling suspicious, tense or threatened
Mood swings;
Problems with sleeping or changes in appetite;
Struggling to cope with work or study
Difficulty in getting going or loss of interest in the things that you used to enjoy;
Less able to concentrate, work things out or remember things.

Of course, any of these changes could be a temporary reaction to stressful events such as difficulties at school / college / work, relationship break-ups. For some people, use of recreational drugs and /or alcohol may trigger these difficulties.

It is a good idea to get the above things checked out so you know what is happening. Then if a psychotic episode is developing, any treatment can be started sooner rather than later.

Later signs of psychosis

These are likely to be obvious and can be very distressing. The sort of things you might
notice are:

Things around you may seem strange and you might feel uneasy about seeing friends or going out and start preferring to spend time alone.
Thoughts seem jumbled, slowed down or speeded up, or interfered with.
Feeling like you are being taken over or changed in some way.
It may seem as if other people don’t understand what you say.
Friends or family may say that you are saying strange things or acting oddly, or you may interpret things in a different way from people around you.
You might think that other people are talking about you or watching you and so you feel suspicious or scared.
You may hear or see things that seem very real to you but that no one else notices
You might believe that there are special messages and signs for you in the things around you.

Help is there

If you are the person experiencing these problems, you will probably be confused and scared. You may have felt like this for some time, but tried to ignore it or make sense
of it.
It’s not unusual to want to deny that there is a problem and be reluctant to get help. You may feel uncomfortable about needing help, but remember it could happen to anyone.

Getting help

You could first talk to a relative, youth worker, teacher or school/ college/ occupational health nurse or counsellor.
Or you can contact the Early Intervention Service directly on 0117 9192371.

You will be able to discuss your concerns and get help to get an assessment. You can also contact us if you are a friend or relative who is concerned about someone.

In most cases, we can help you at home.
An initial meeting is arranged to discuss the situation and decide the help you need. This is likely to be treatment advice as well as practical assistance.

Family and friends

We can also offer information and support to family and friends As a friend or relative, you may be feeling the stresses yourself. It can be hard to know what to do for the best and who to talk to. But help is there and and it is important to talk about your concerns.