So I know that I've said that psychotic experiences like hallucinations, delusions and paranoia are normal human experiences. But I want to make it clear that they can become disordered. Most people who have a psychotic experience would not qualify or benefit from a diagnosis of a psychotic disorder. But, there are definitely a lot of us out there that do qualify and benefit from having a diagnosis as it can lead to much needed treatment. Although I cannot advise anyone on how to manage their specific mental health treatment, I thought I would make a generalized guide of when to seek mental health support/a diagnosis (in my opinion).
If your psychotic symptoms are reoccurring without an environmental cause, you should probably seek out professional help. By not having an environmental cause I mean having psychotic symptoms outside of the influence of drugs, sleep deprivation, stress, trauma, or when you are falling asleep or waking up. How often they reoccur can be a deciding factor in diagnosis, and the specific amount and time in between varies based on diagnostic criteria. But I would say if it keeps happening, and isn't just a one off thing, or something that happened a handful of times throughout your life, you should probably seek out professional help.
If your psychotic symptoms are distressing you, you should probably seek out professional help. By distressing I mean that you are having a big emotional reaction to them, that they affect you after they are gone. If a psychotic symptom triggers a mental health crisis, emotional outburst or panic attack, you should probably seek help.
If your psychotic symptoms are impacting your daily life or keeping you from doing things you would normally do, you should probably seek out professional help. If you are avoiding things or places like taking a shower, eating or leaving the house because of your symptoms, or if you are isolating from people or the world all together, you should probably seek help.
If none of these apply but you still feel that you should bring up your symptoms to a mental health professional, then please do. It doesn't necessarily have to lead to a diagnosis or treatment, but it can be helpful to get an outsiders perspective. If sharing your symptoms does lead to diagnosis, it will be okay, diagnosis is just a way to categorize symptoms so you can get more accurate treatment. Life doesn't end at diagnosis, it just begins your journey to better understand yourself and find ways to get help.
