A general practitioner may support four to eight patients with psychotic disorder and see one new presentation each year. Other non-specialist doctors will encounter patients presenting to an emergency department or complicating comorbid illness. Psychosis often emerges for the first time in adolescence and young adulthood. In around four out of five patients symptoms remit, but most experience relapses and further difficulties. The first two to five years of psychosis are considered a critical period for intervening to improve long term outcome.567 The non-specialist plays a key role in early identification. To read the full article, log in using your NHS OpenAthens details.