Such experiences can be perplexing, confusing and can cause emotional distress. People may have difficulty identifying or describing what is different but notice that something in not quite right. People can have these experiences for a variety of reasons.

Basic symptoms are non-specific and may be part of a normal adolescent crisis, a reaction to stress, warning signs of a psychiatric disorder such as an anxiety disorder, major depression, bipolar disorder, psychotic disorder, substance abuse or another medical disorder that affects brain functioning. For some people, if the basic symptoms worsen they can progress into a psychotic disorder. Previous research in this area suggests that about 50% of people experiencing such basic symptoms will progress to psychosis.

That means 50% will not go on to develop psychosis. In those cases the basic symptoms may resolve or go away on their own or remain fairly stable over time.