Can sleep deprivation make someone psychotic?

Question

If someone had sleep deprivation with psychosis for a year could it seem like schizophrenia? Would it in fact, be schizophrenia?

Answer 1

As crazy as a loon - but you have to be deprived for at least 72 hours before your ability to think rationaly is affected

Answer 2

The primary symptom associated with sleep deprivation is hallucinations (typically visual).  Of course, there's also irritability, difficulty concentrating, and delayed reaction time, just to name a few.  The length of time one must go without sleeping before these symptoms set in varies from person to person.  However, it really does take a lot of extreme deprivation (not more than 3 hours in each 24 hour period for at least 48 to 72 hours) before the hallucinations and disorganized thoughts begin.  At such a level of deprivation, all other symptoms of schizophrenia are absent (so it would be highly unlikely that a psychologist would mistake it for a mental disorder), and the individual must get sleep - prolonging awakeness could actually be fatal for most people.  As soon as the person gets even five hours of sleep, most of the symptoms will begin to recede, and with a full night of rest, the individual will be back to normal.  A psychologist would not mistake it, because other symptoms of sleep deprivation would usually be present - nodding off, heavy eyelids, red eyes, twitching, slow or labored speech and movement, etc.

Answer 3

yes,   you need sleep to survive.

your mind will start playing tricks on you after a few days no sleep.

Longest i went was about 4 days.  not a pretty site.

Answer 4

yes, but i don't know if it would in fact be schizophrenia. sleep deprivation causes all types of psychotic symptoms.