Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): Can it be associated with psychosis?

Can a person with post-traumatic stress disorder also have psychosis?

- No name given / Israel

Mayo Clinic psychiatrist Daniel Hall-Flavin, M.D., and colleagues answer select questions from readers.

Answer

Some people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may also have symptoms of psychosis, including hearing or seeing things that aren't there (hallucinations) and paranoia.

Other symptoms of PTSD may appear to be psychotic but aren't. Rarely, a person with PTSD may experience dissociative states, which last from a few seconds to several hours, or even days. During these episodes, also called flashbacks, the person relives the events that triggered the PTSD. Flashbacks in PTSD must be distinguished from hallucinations and delusions that may be present in schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders.