HealthInfo Canterbury
Psychosis in teens & young adults
Heaheatanga ki ngā taiohi me rangatahi
Most people who develop psychosis for the first time do so when they're 18 or older, although it can develop in teenagers as young as 13.
When a young person's behaviour changes, it can be difficult to know if it's part of their normal development or something more serious like the beginning of a psychotic disorder.
Because young people are still developing, an emerging psychotic disorder may look quite different compared with an adult who is experiencing psychosis for the first time.
In teenagers, hallucinations aren't normally the result of psychosis – they're most often related to severe anxiety or traumatic experiences. Up to 10% of teenagers may have hallucinations. Some psychotic young people simply withdraw without any obvious changes in their thinking and struggle to do day-to-day tasks that they managed well before.
When teenagers start showing psychotic symptoms, it can take a lot of watching and waiting before it becomes clear if they have a mental illness and what it might be.
Child, Adolescent & Family Service
If you're between 13 and 18 when you develop psychotic symptoms, your general practice team may refer you to the Child, Adolescent & Family Service. This service has a team of healthcare workers who manage young people who may be developing a psychotic disorder. It provides a similar service to the adult service provided by Totara House but designed for teenagers.
The service can also offer support to parents of children who may be developing a psychotic disorder.
HealthInfo recommends the following videos
- Whāraurau – Mental health services
This series of videos is designed to help rangatahi (young people) and their whānau (families) navigate their way through child and adolescent mental health services. The videos show examples of different kinds of therapies and health professionals who work in these services. They also include information about medications that are sometimes used to treat anxiety, depression and psychosis. Each video is around 5 minutes long.
HealthInfo recommends the following pages
- Hearing Voices Network Aotearoa NZ – Don't panic if your child is hearing voices
This article explains what it means to hear voices and how normal it can be – especially in children and teenagers. It includes a checklist of what to do if your child tells you they're hearing voices.
- Whāraurau – Psychosis: A guide for families/whānau
Information and advice about what happens when you have psychosis, causes and treatments.
Written by HealthInfo clinical advisers. Last reviewed September 2023.
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Review key: HIPSY-124133
