May 27, 2026
Thom Carroll/PhillyVoice
New research suggests that as much as 60% of college students experiencing psychosis are not getting treatment with both therapy and antipsychotic medication. Psychotic symptoms emerge on average at age 20.
Psychosis can lead to confused thinking, altered behavior and hallucinations, among other symptoms. A psychotic episode is disorienting and disturbing to the person experiencing it and to the people nearby.
But psychosis is fairly common, especially among young adults.About 3 in 100 young people experience a psychotic episode, according to Yale Medicine, and most of them fully recover.
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Still, a new study suggests that 60% of college students who have psychosis do not receive the recommended treatment, a combination of therapy and antipsychotic medication.
About 80% of students with psychosis said they needed help, and the same percentage said they had had therapy during the past 12 months. Only 40% reported taking antipsychotic medication, according to the study.
The study included responses from more than 2,800 college students with psychosis who participated in the national Healthy Minds online survey between 2015 and 2024. Healthy Minds looks at mental health outcomes and treatment access for college and graduate students each year.
"This high identified need for help but low utilization of services indicates potential barriers to accessing this care," said Clara Godoy-Henderson, a researcher at Boston University and the study's lead author.
Stigma may be one of the barriers preventing students from getting needed therapies, the researchers said.
The origins of psychosis are complex. It sometimes emerges as a symptom of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or another mental illness. But psychosis can result from stress or trauma and may also have genetic components.
On average, psychotic symptoms tend to appear at age 20.
People experiencing psychosis lose grasp on reality, and they may have trouble differentiating between reality and imagination. Signs and symptoms, according to the National Institute of Mental Health, may include:
• Suspiciousness, paranoia, uneasiness with others
• Trouble thinking clearly or logically
• Withdrawing socially and spending a lot of time alone
• Sleep disruption
• Decline in personal hygiene
• Confusion and trouble speaking
• Precipitous decline in school or work performance
Early intervention and treatment is critical for reducing the risk of future episodes, hospitalization and suicide.
It is also "important because it improves outcomes related to overall quality of life, school involvement, employment, symptom severity, and relapse rate," Godoy-Henderson said.
Students who thought they needed treatment were more likely to have received support from family and friends and had a higher likelihood of taking antipsychotic medication than students without that informal support, the new study found.
These support systems are important for recognizing early psychotic symptoms and helping people access treatment, the researchers said.
