Having a hallucination or delusion doesn’t necessarily mean you have a mental health condition, such as schizophrenia.
Have you ever seen or heard something that turned out not to exist? Or have you ever thought something was happening that no one else noticed — perhaps thinking you were being followed, or that something was trying to communicate with you? If so, you may have had a psychotic experience. The good news is, you're not alone. Psychosis, also called a psychotic experience or episode , is when someone perceives or interprets reality differently to the people around them. And it's estimated that around 5-10% of people will have a psychotic experience in their lifetime. While they're different for each person, psychotic experiences often include hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that aren't there) or delusions (believing that something is happening that isn't real, or that others can't understand). It's worth noting, though, that having a psychotic experience doesn't mean you have a mental disorder. Many people have these experiences without ever...