Psychosis

Psychosis is a mental health condition. In clinical research, the term is used when considering people at clinical high risk for psychosis as well as people with established psychosis, including those experiencing a first episode or living with chronic schizophrenia.

Psychosis is categorized as a mental health condition.

1What may help
9What to avoid

This list shows research findings, not treatments. Nothing here replaces medical care. If you have this condition, talk to a doctor.

What may help

None of these options has good evidence yet. Best evidence first.

1 option:1 no benefit found

What studies foundSize of effect

Hatha YogapracticeNo benefit found
Studies looked for a benefit and did not find one.
The one study found no benefit.
A 2020 trial in 51 people found no increases in medial temporal cortical volume or thickness with yoga compared with a wait-list; these changes were observed only in the aerobic exercise group.
Open the Hatha Yoga page

May not suit people with this condition

Supplements and practices linked to problems for people with this condition.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)practiceUnclear
Active psychosis with impaired reality testing may make it harder to engage with the metaphorical or defusion techniques used in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), potentially increasing confusion or distress.
Open the Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) page
Focused Attention MeditationpracticeUnclear
Intensive Meditation can trigger or exacerbate psychotic symptoms in people with a history of psychosis, attributed to increased introspection and sensory distortions.
Open the Focused Attention Meditation page
MeditationpracticeUnclear
Unsupervised meditation may exacerbate psychotic symptoms, including derealization, depersonalization, or hallucinations, in people with active psychosis.
Open the Meditation page
Mindfulness MeditationpracticeUnclear
Mindfulness meditation may worsen active psychosis or a history of psychotic episodes; increased introspection and possible derealization are cited as reasons for concern.
Open the Mindfulness Meditation page
PsychotherapypracticeUnclear
Unstable or untreated psychosis with active delusions or disorganization may impair therapeutic alliance and insight, so stabilization may be needed before standard psychotherapy.
Open the Psychotherapy page
QigongpracticeUnclear
Intensive Qigong may exacerbate dissociative or psychotic symptoms in vulnerable people, possibly because it can involve altered states of awareness.
Open the Qigong page
Transcendental MeditationpracticeUnclear
Active or unstable psychotic disorders, including Schizophrenia and Bipolar Mania, are contraindications because unstructured internal focus may exacerbate symptoms.
Open the Transcendental Meditation page
Yoga NidrapracticeUnclear
Deep dissociative states during Yoga Nidra may exacerbate symptoms in people with active psychosis or a history of dissociation.
Open the Yoga Nidra page

Show all 9

The expert view shows every study, dose protocol and source.

What may help

Interventions recorded as helping with this condition1 listed

The best we have, but the evidence is still weak

PracticesHatha YogaCertaintyVery lowSourceClinical
A 2020 trial in 51 people found no increases in medial temporal cortical volume or thickness with yoga compared with a wait-list; these changes were observed only in the aerobic exercise group.
Who was studied
People with a condition
Psychosis
Open Hatha Yoga
→

What to avoid

Interventions recorded as making it worse9 listed

Highest probability

PracticesAcceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)CertaintyLowSourceReference knowledge
Active psychosis with impaired reality testing may make it harder to engage with the metaphorical or defusion techniques used in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), potentially increasing confusion or distress.
Rationale
Active psychosis with impaired reality testing may reduce the capacity to engage with metaphorical or defusion techniques central to ACT, increasing risk of confusion or distress.
Open Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
→
PracticesFocused Attention MeditationCertaintyLowSourceReference knowledge
Intensive Meditation can trigger or exacerbate psychotic symptoms in people with a history of psychosis, attributed to increased introspection and sensory distortions.
Rationale
Intensive meditation can trigger or exacerbate psychotic symptoms in individuals with a history of psychosis due to increased introspection and sensory distortions.
Open Focused Attention Meditation
→
PracticesMeditationCertaintyLowSourceReference knowledge
Unsupervised meditation may exacerbate psychotic symptoms, including derealization, depersonalization, or hallucinations, in people with active psychosis.
Rationale
Unsupervised meditation may exacerbate psychotic symptoms such as derealization, depersonalization, or hallucinations in individuals with active psychosis.
Open Meditation
→
PracticesMindfulness MeditationCertaintyLowSourceReference knowledge
Mindfulness meditation may worsen active psychosis or a history of psychotic episodes; increased introspection and possible derealization are cited as reasons for concern.
Rationale
Active psychosis or a history of psychotic episodes can be exacerbated by mindfulness meditation due to increased introspection and potential derealization.
Open Mindfulness Meditation
→
PracticesPsychotherapyCertaintyLowSourceReference knowledge
Unstable or untreated psychosis with active delusions or disorganization may impair therapeutic alliance and insight, so stabilization may be needed before standard psychotherapy.
Rationale
Unstable or untreated psychosis with active delusions or disorganization may impair therapeutic alliance and insight, requiring stabilization before standard psychotherapy.
Open Psychotherapy
→
PracticesQigongCertaintyLowSourceReference knowledge
Intensive Qigong may exacerbate dissociative or psychotic symptoms in vulnerable people, possibly because it can involve altered states of awareness.
Rationale
Intensive mind-body practices may exacerbate dissociative or psychotic symptoms in vulnerable individuals due to altered states of awareness.
Open Qigong
→
PracticesTranscendental MeditationCertaintyLowSourceReference knowledge
Active or unstable psychotic disorders, including Schizophrenia and Bipolar Mania, are contraindications because unstructured internal focus may exacerbate symptoms.
Rationale
Active or unstable psychotic disorders, including schizophrenia and bipolar mania, are contraindicated due to risk of symptom exacerbation from unstructured internal focus.
Open Transcendental Meditation
→

Low probability(2)

PracticesYoga NidraCertaintyLowSourceReference knowledge
Deep dissociative states during Yoga Nidra may exacerbate symptoms in people with active psychosis or a history of dissociation.
Rationale
Deep dissociative states during Yoga Nidra may exacerbate symptoms in individuals with active psychosis or a history of dissociation.
Open Yoga Nidra
→
PracticesBreathworkCertaintyLowSourceTheoretical
Intense breathwork can induce altered states of consciousness that may exacerbate active psychosis or trigger psychotic episodes in vulnerable people.
Rationale
Intense breathwork can induce altered states of consciousness that may exacerbate active psychosis or trigger psychotic episodes in vulnerable individuals.
Open Breathwork
→

How to read the evidence

Evidence tier — overall strength of the evidence for the whole compound

StrongWell established — backed by strong, consistent human research.
ModerateSome genuine support, but mostly from small or lower-quality studies. Promising, not proven.
PreliminaryEarly-stage evidence — a promising hypothesis, not an established effect yet.
LimitedVery limited evidence — treat this as a hypothesis, not proof.
InsufficientNot enough good evidence to draw conclusions yet.

Certainty — how sure we can be that the effect is real

Very highVery sure — strong, consistent evidence
HighFairly sure — consistent evidence from good studies
MediumModerately sure — new studies could change this
LowNot sure — little or mixed evidence
Very lowVery unsure — almost no usable evidence

Source — where the data comes from

Meta-analysisPooled analysis of many trials — the strongest evidence
RCTRandomized controlled trial — a strong human study design
ClinicalA human clinical study
Reference knowledgeFrom general health-science or pharmacology references, not a study of this exact claim
Animal researchStudied in animals, not humans
Community reportsAggregated user reports — anecdotal signal, not evidence
TheoreticalMechanism-based reasoning, not yet tested

Study grade — quality of each underlying study (A best, D weakest)

AHigh-quality — strong, consistent human trials
BGood — solid evidence with some limitations
CModerate — limited, small, or mixed-quality studies
DWeak — preliminary, indirect, or animal-only

Confidence — how strongly the sources back a finding

A 0–100 score from study quality and agreement

Most supplement evidence is graded C–D. Read it as preliminary signal, not proof.

Full write-up

What is it

Research includes adjunctive approaches such as Omega-3 and CBD (Cannabidiol), but these findings do not define psychosis itself or establish that either option is appropriate for every person.

Evidence-backed options

The options associated with psychosis have been studied in different settings and should not be treated as interchangeable. Omega-3 was examined as an adjunctive approach in people with first-episode or chronic schizophrenia, using EPA-dominant supplementation at ≥1 g/day. The finding that early initiation may be particularly important does not establish how long supplementation was continued or how quickly changes appeared.

CBD (Cannabidiol) was studied acutely in people at clinical high risk for psychosis and in people with established psychosis. The reported finding concerns brain activity during cognitive task performance relative to placebo and healthy controls, rather than establishing a general effect across psychosis-related symptoms. Because the Omega-3 and CBD research involved different populations, approaches, and types of outcomes, their findings cannot be directly compared as equivalent treatment effects.

The evidence therefore applies to specific research contexts rather than automatically extending to every person with psychosis. Information about treatment duration and the timing of clinical changes is limited here, and the options were not evaluated in the same way. Any consideration of these approaches for a medical condition should be discussed with a clinician.

What to avoid

St. John's Wort is flagged because its monoaminergic activation has been associated with the precipitation or worsening of psychotic symptoms, including hallucinations and disorganization. This concern is especially relevant when considering substances that may affect several mood- and signaling-related pathways at once, since changes in these pathways can coincide with destabilization of psychotic symptoms.

Intensive meditation practice is also flagged because it can exacerbate psychotic symptoms, increase dissociation, and destabilize reality testing in active psychosis. The concern relates to the intensity of the practice and its potential effects on perception and the sense of reality, rather than to a general statement about every form of meditation. If meditation is considered in the context of psychosis, psychiatric supervision is identified as important. Any decision involving St. John's Wort or intensive meditation should be discussed with a clinician.