Updated
Interactive urgent-help guidance – no risk score
Possible psychosis
Choose the situation that is relevant to read direct-help guidance. Do not wait to complete questions. This is a help navigator, not a clinical safety assessment, diagnostic test or prediction of future harm.
These experiences are new or getting worse
Contact a clinician or urgent mental-health service now. Do not use this guide to confirm or disprove a belief or diagnose psychosis.
I am concerned about another person
Contact their clinical team or an appropriate urgent service. Speak calmly, avoid confrontation and do not put yourself in danger.
There is immediate danger or a severe change in awareness
Contact local emergency services rather than waiting for a routine enquiry or website response.
These choices do not establish whether someone is safe or whether it is safe to wait. Help does not depend on completing anything. No answers, contact details or alerts are sent by this navigator; contact the appropriate service directly.
Background professional guidance. This source does not endorse VAYEMA or validate this help navigator.
Why a professional assessment matters more than a score
Psychotic experiences can occur in several different conditions, including some mood disorders, substance-related states and medical illnesses. A questionnaire cannot examine physical health, observe changes in awareness or establish the clinical meaning of an experience. The professional needs a history, a conversation and appropriate examination or investigations. Early assessment is important, but a specific long-term diagnosis may remain uncertain initially. [1,2]
Seeking help does not require you to agree with a label first. You can say that something has changed, that you feel frightened or that someone close has noticed a difference. The receiving clinician can help identify the next step. Our understanding psychosis guide provides background; reading it or completing a worksheet is not an entry requirement for care.
What the first conversation may cover
The clinician may ask about unusual perceptions, strongly held beliefs, thought organisation, sleep, mood, self-care and recent functioning. They also need to understand medicines, alcohol or other substances and physical symptoms. Questions about safety are part of understanding support needs, not a judgement about character. The appointment should leave room for the concern that matters most to you, rather than only moving through a checklist. [1,2]
Ask for an explanation when a question seems unrelated. You can request a pause or simpler wording, and you do not need to give a perfectly ordered account. A useful opening might be that sleep has changed and familiar situations have become difficult to understand. Detailed or distressing material belongs in an appropriate clinical conversation, not an ordinary website inquiry.
Describe the timeline without gathering proof online
Approximate timing helps the professional distinguish a sudden change from a pattern developing over weeks or longer. Note major changes in sleep, health, medicines or daily activity when you remember them. Include whether experiences come and go and what happens between them. Uncertainty is acceptable: identifying a gap in memory is more useful than filling it with assumptions to make the account sound complete.
The task is not to build a case proving an unusual explanation. Repeated internet searches, recording other people or confronting somebody you suspect are not necessary preparation. Focus on how you are feeling and functioning, and discuss concerns directly with the professional. An assessment can take your distress seriously without requiring the clinician or family to endorse a belief before offering help.
Medical history and physical examination can change the recommendation
The assessor considers illnesses, neurological symptoms, sleep disruption, medication effects, intoxication or withdrawal and other possible contributors. Depending on the presentation, a physical examination or targeted tests may be needed. A scan is not automatically required for every first presentation, and no single blood test establishes a psychiatric diagnosis. The clinician should explain the question each investigation is intended to answer. [2]
Bring a medicine list or packaging when readily available, including prescribed and non-prescribed products. Do not delay urgent help to collect records. Sudden confusion, reduced alertness, a seizure, fever with marked deterioration or another acute medical concern needs direct medical attention. A previous mental-health diagnosis should not become a reason to ignore new physical illness or assume every symptom has the same cause.
Mood, trauma, substances and developmental history provide context
Depression, high-energy mood episodes, trauma-related distress and substance use can influence both the experience and treatment priorities. The clinician may also ask about earlier development, learning and communication needs. This broader history helps avoid reducing everything to one label. It does not mean a person must tell their entire life story before current symptoms receive attention. [2]
The guides to mania, depression with psychotic symptoms and co-occurring conditions explain some related questions. Do not use them to assign several diagnoses to yourself. A single coordinated assessment can consider overlapping needs and explain which questions need specialist follow-up.
Culture, language and communication need careful attention
A belief is not a delusion simply because it is unfamiliar to an assessor or belongs to another cultural or religious context. Language differences, hearing difficulties and communication styles can also affect how an account is understood. The assessment should be sensitive to these factors and use an appropriately qualified interpreter where needed, rather than rely on stereotypes or an automated translation alone. [2]
Tell the service which language you can best use for complex or emotional experiences. You may also need written information, more time or a quieter setting. These are participation needs, not evidence that an assessment cannot be completed. Ask how the clinician checks their understanding and how you can correct something in a summary that does not accurately reflect what you meant.
How a trusted person can contribute without taking over
With appropriate arrangements, someone close may help describe changes in sleep, routines or functioning that you have not noticed or find difficult to recall. Their account should be distinguished from your own rather than treated as an automatic replacement. The professional can consider different perspectives while explaining confidentiality and who will receive information. A relative can help with transport or appointments without hearing every private detail.
If you are the person seeking advice about someone else, describe observations rather than trying to diagnose them through a proxy quiz. Their refusal to share your interpretation is not, by itself, a diagnosis. Family support can address your own questions, while immediate safety concerns require direct professional assistance. Avoid confrontation or trying to medicate the person without appropriate clinical authority.
Understand the difference between assessment, screening and monitoring
Specialists sometimes use structured interviews or symptom measures to organise information and follow change. Their usefulness depends on appropriate selection and interpretation. They are not lie detectors and do not establish the truth of a belief. A lower score cannot rule out every concern, and a higher score cannot decide medication, hospital admission or a person’s ability to make a particular decision. [1,2]
The tool on this page is not one of those clinical instruments. It repeats only the practical notes you choose to write and supplies no probability or severity category. Completing it several times does not make the diagnosis clearer. Stop when it is no longer useful, and bring uncertainty directly to the clinician. You can also attend with no written preparation at all.
What should be clear at the end of the assessment
Ask what the clinician thinks is happening, what remains uncertain and what action is recommended now. The next step might involve an early-intervention team, crisis service, hospital evaluation or an appropriate outpatient plan. The recommendation should explain its purpose and who takes responsibility. A working diagnosis is not a prediction of the rest of your life or a reason to exclude your preferences. [1,3]
Clarify prescriptions, any tests, the next appointment and how to seek help sooner. Our treatment guide describes the possible components of care. Where multiple professionals are involved, coordination can support practical arrangements, but it must not obscure who makes clinical decisions or imply that routine messages are monitored continuously.
Use the worksheet privately and do not delay urgent care
The optional prompts do not send a message, book an appointment or alert a clinician. Answers are not automatically saved by this tool. A file you deliberately download remains on your device, so decide where to keep it and which clinical channel to use if sharing it. Avoid unnecessary names, private information about other people or detailed explanations that the worksheet cannot interpret.
For planned VAYEMA contact, the assessment pathway can clarify relevant expertise and availability. New or worsening psychosis needs prompt direct assessment rather than waiting for routine availability. Immediate danger, serious physical illness or inability to stay safe needs local emergency services. The fact that a form is still open or can produce a summary does not establish that waiting is safe.
Frequently asked questions about psychosis assessment and self-tests
Is this an online psychosis test?
No. It is an unscored preparation worksheet alongside information about professional assessment. It cannot diagnose psychosis, distinguish every cause or determine whether you are safe. The prompts may help organise an appointment, but new symptoms should be discussed promptly with a professional rather than evaluated through this tool.
What happens if I disagree with the clinician's explanation?
You can ask how the conclusion was reached, what alternatives were considered and what remains uncertain. A good assessment should explain rather than demand immediate agreement. You can discuss a second opinion where appropriate. Immediate safety or medical needs still require attention while disagreements about the longer-term diagnosis are explored.
Will everyone need a brain scan?
No. Investigations depend on the history, examination and suspected cause. A clinician should explain what a scan or other test would clarify. No routine test replaces the clinical conversation, and an apparently reassuring result does not necessarily settle every question about current symptoms or the need for support.
Can my family arrange help if I find it difficult?
A trusted person may assist with contacting a service or attending an appointment when appropriate. The professional should still seek your participation and explain confidentiality. Family observations can be useful but are not a substitute for assessing you. In an emergency, others should contact local emergency services directly.
Can I complete the worksheet for somebody else?
It should not be used to diagnose another person. You may keep brief observations for a conversation with a professional, clearly identifying them as your observations. Do not include unnecessary personal details or assume that a form can determine capacity, risk or whether someone can be treated against their wishes.
Will the tool send an alert if I describe an urgent problem?
No. Nobody monitors entries, and no alert is sent. Contact an appropriate professional or emergency service directly when help is urgent. You do not need a finished worksheet, a score or certainty about the diagnosis before seeking that assistance. Practical preparation should never delay needed care.
Resources and references
[1] NHS: How psychosis is assessed