12 Chapter 1 Contextualizing the thesis Psychosis Individuals with psychotic disorders encounter challenges across various domains of life. In psychopathology, a psychotic disorder is considered as one of the most severe mental states [1]. During a period of psychosis, people’s thoughts and perceptions can be disturbed, and their distinct experiences often lead to feelings of being misunderstood [2]. Psychotic symptoms are, for instance, hallucinations and delusions [3]. Hallucinations are delineated as “perception-like experiences that manifest without an external stimulus, marked by their vividness, clarity, and the intensity of normal perceptions, while being beyond voluntary control” [4]. Delusions are defined as “inflexible beliefs resistant to change despite contradictory evidence, which are not endorsed by others” [2]. Both hallucinations and delusions can be symptoms that are part of severe, debilitating mental disorders, such as psychotic disorder, yet they may also appear in transient, less severe, or non-distressing forms within the general population, independent of psychiatric illness [5]. Psychotic disorders tend to emerge in late adolescence and young adulthood [6,7]. Epidemiological studies indicate that nearly 75% of first onsets occur before the age of 40 [7]. Young males have a higher risk of psychotic disorders [6]. Adolescence and young adulthood represent pivotal periods for the emergence of psychotic disorders, underscoring the critical significance of these developmental periods [8]. Because young people in this developmental phase still have much to learn, it is essential that they are guided and coached through it. This is because they are in a vulnerable period, and it is crucial that they receive specialized and appropriate guidance and support in which engagement in all social roles and the prevention of the chronic progression of psychosis are key [9]. MHNs are often tasked with educating, guiding, and supporting vulnerable patients and families and thereby are well positioned to address problems that occur during adolescence and young adulthood [10]. This thesis started with a focus on patients with first-episode psychosis. It is well known that psychotic experiences exist on a continuum, ranging from mild, attenuated psychotic experiences in the non-clinical population to clinically significant psychotic symptoms in individuals with fully developed psychotic disorders [11]. There are various stages within a psychotic disorder. In this dissertation, the focus
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