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Updated: May 25, 2026

Implementation of a Real-Time Psychosis Risk Detection and Alerting System Based on Electronic Health Records using CogStack
Published on: May 15, 2020
Can we detect psychotic-like experiences in the general population?
B Nelson1, P Fusar-Poli, A R Yung
1Orygen Youth Health Research Centre, Centre for Youth Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Australia. nelsonb@unimelb.edu.au
Psychotic experiences are common in the general population, far more than diagnosed disorders. Persistent experiences increase the risk of developing psychosis, offering insights into its causes.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Psychology
- Epidemiology
Background:
- The continuum model suggests psychosis exists on a spectrum within the general population.
- Clinical psychosis represents a small fraction of the broader psychosis phenotype.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review studies on psychotic experiences in the general population.
- To examine the prevalence, risk factors, and implications of these experiences.
Main Methods:
- Narrative review of existing literature.
- Analysis of studies focusing on general population samples.
Main Results:
- Psychotic experiences are prevalent in the general population, exceeding diagnosed disorder rates.
- Persistent psychotic experiences are linked to a higher risk of future psychosis onset.
- Shared risk factors between general population psychotic experiences and schizophrenia.
Conclusions:
- General population psychotic experiences are a valuable phenotype for studying psychosis etiology.
- Specific experiences (e.g., paranoia, bizarre thoughts) may confer higher risk.
- Further research is needed on risk factor interplay, high-risk experiences, and potential adaptive functions.
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