CSN News: Psychosis in Europe – New research

Psychosis – a serious mental health condition where a person loses touch with reality, experiencing hallucinations and/or delusions – is gaining new attention in Europe.

Researchers are exploring the causes, early warning signals, and possible treatments of psychosis.

Yale School of Medicine Recent Studies (published online at Neuropsychopharmacology, 2025UCL, published on PLOS Mental Health, 2024Uppsala University and Uppsala University. Uppsala University, 2025The results of the ) are quite interesting.

What is psychosis?

Psychosis occurs when someone loses their sense of reality. They may experience hallucinations, delusions and disorganized thinking. According to researchers from Yale School of Medicine negative symptoms, such as memory issues and low levels of motivation, often show up first. Then, hallucinations, delusions, and disorganized thinking will appear.

How psychosis evolves over time

The study published by Neuropsychopharmacology Brain scans were used in order to compare early cases of psychosis (within 5 years of symptom onset), with chronic cases (lasting more than 5 years). Researchers discovered that early and chronic psychosis are similar, but chronic cases have more disruptions to brain networks.

The frontoparietal network – a key brain system that controls flexible thinking and goal-setting – was especially important in both stages. Dustin Scheinost, study co-author from Yale, said that if we can characterise differences in the brain to better understand symptoms then we may be able to identify biomarkers or targets.

Machine learning models can predict symptoms more accurately for chronic patients. This suggests that the longer psychosis continues without treatment, the more profound the brain changes.

Migration and the Risk of Psychosis

A study led by UCL found that moving abroad during adolescence doubles the risk of developing psychosis. Over 2,000 people were studied in England, France Italy, Spain and the Netherlands. The study found that Black and North African migrants are at a higher risk.

Humma Andleeb said that adolescence was a crucial developmental period. It is also a time when we establish our identity. Therefore, any changes in an adolescent’s lifestyle could be detrimental to their mental wellbeing. The first author, Humma Andleeb, said that when people move to a different country, they can face language and cultural barriers. They may also experience discrimination.

Early detection of psychosis is part of Europe’s plan

Europe has taken proactive actions to combat psychosis. A project funded by the EU called ePreventPsych has launched digital screening tools for early detection of psychosis in April (Uppsala University).

The project, led by Simon Cervenka of Uppsala University aims to implement these tools in five European countries.

Cervenka said that ePreventPsych could fundamentally alter the way young people who are at risk of psychosis receive care and support.

The project involves developing web-based methods for detecting people at risk, and adapting these in collaboration with both patients and medical professionals to fit into different European contexts. The researchers will test metabolic risk techniques in patients with psychosis first episode and algorithms to analyse medical data.

These studies all point to a common message: Early action is crucial. By identifying changes in the brain sooner, by supporting young migrants and by using technology intelligently, Europe can reduce the burden of mental illness for future generations.

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