Type 1 Psychosis  is often associated with “personal distress,” as well as with “social distress” due to perceived “at risk” behaviors to oneself or to others, triggering need for mental health services. This condition may be of shout-term duration, and may be resolved with or without any psychiatric interventions, and upon recovery, persons may present limited or no residual effects.  Some may need periodic or sustained level of some elements of ‘psychiatric support services to maintain “recovery,” and some may even report a higher level of ‘creativity’ from such “transient” psychotic experiences.

The development of "atypical thinking" and preference for "autistic preoccupations" associated with other significant elements of psychosis, such as compromised everyday functioning, with behavioral problems, presenting "at risk status," needing special education and psychiatric services, may have origins related to any "trauma" experiences. Such an early exposure to uncertainty experience any "trauma induces, presents "existential crisis," and "boundary violation" experiences to people at a vulnerable stage of their life. This experience may be further complicated by emergence of biological and social changes and expectations in adolescence or in transitioning to adulthood, thus affecting the development of "self-hood,' and struggle to find meaning with one's life experiences, with concomitant preference for "escape to 'autistic preoccupations." This type of prolonged experience with "autistic thinking experience" may trigger for some experience of clinical symptoms identified as "hallucinations" or "delusions" for some, that may or may not become a lifelong periodic experience for some.  With time, and supportive interventions, or without any, many are able to come out of this "experience," through their own self reflections, educational opportunities, social and family supports, and appropriate psychological and psychiatric support services, and are able to function adequately. Some are able function to their full potentials in life later on. The individual process of recovery, and factors or resiliency contributing to recovery or living with "atypical experiences" of life are not yet fully understood.

(This article reflects this individual writer’s perspectives, and does not claim to  present a consensus validated opinion for the mental health community at large, and it is being presented primarily to generate discussions, reflections, and sharing of ideas and opinions on this complex and challenging mental health condition!  As such references cited  reflect this writer’s own and collaborative publications, where the write felt that some of the elements expressed in this Opinion piece were also reflected. This opinion piece may be updated in future with further thoughts and reflections)

References: Mohiuddin Ahmed, Ph.D., Harold J. Burszatajn, MD, Ronald Abramson,MD. Back to the Future. Psychiatric Services Vol.67(5)2016.

Mohiuddin Ahmed, Ph.D., Harold J. Burszatajn, MD, Ronald Abramson, MD, Steven Nisenbaum, Ph.D. An alternative name for schizophrenia. The Lancet Psychiatry,Vol 1, Issue 4, 2014.