Experiences of felt presence in first episode psychosis.

Felt presence—the sensation that someone else is nearby despite no sensory evidence—has been recognized in psychosis for over a century but has been difficult to study. Recently it has been identified across multiple diagnoses and emphasized by people with psychosis as a clinical priority. This work describes how felt presence appears in a first-episode psychosis sample and reports initial links to affect, gender, and psychopathology.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Felt presence (FP) - sensing another person without clear sensory evidence - has been described in psychosis for over a century but rarely studied due to challenges in recognition and assessment. Recently FP has been identified as a transdiagnostic phenomenon and highlighted by people with lived experience of psychosis as a clinical priority. Here we describe FP presentation in a first-episode psychosis sample and report preliminary associations with affect, gender, and psychopathology.