If you’ve experienced psychosis, we’d love your help to shape a new international research project about memories of psychosis.
We are looking for young people aged 18 – 25 in Australia who have experienced psychosis to participate in a short survey and who might also be interested in contributing to the project through an online meeting in late February.
Background: State-Based Autobiographical Memory in Psychosis
1 in 30 people experience psychosis. This is when the mind plays tricks on you and changes the way you see or understand reality. Medication can help manage these episodes, but for some people the symptoms come back if they stop taking the medication. We still don’t fully understand why this happens. Learning more could help young people decide if or when it might be safe to reduce or stop their medication.
Scientists know that a brain chemical called dopamine is involved in psychosis. New research also shows that dopamine helps create memories in the brain. This means that memories formed during a psychosis might affect whether someone has another episode later on. We don’t know if the way people deal with memories of their psychosis can change their chances of having another one.
For example, does it help more to face and understand what happened, or is it better to avoid thinking about it? This project wants to learn the best way to handle these memories so young people can recover better and have a lower chance of another episode.
The project has three stages:
- First, we will create tools to understand how people remember and connect their experiences of psychosis with their other memories.
- Next, we will study how these memory patterns might affect future mental health.
- Finally, we will test a new approach that may help people manage these memories in the best way.
This project involves an international team, including researchers and people with lived experience of psychosis.
We are currently looking for young people aged 18 – 25 years in Australia who have experienced psychosis and would like to help shape this project.
Help us understand your experience of psychosis via this survey link Your memory of psychosis
Let us know your contact details to express your interest to participate in a meeting on 26 February 2026.
For additional information please contact AEPCC on [email protected]
