Experiences of felt presence in first episode psychosis.
Ben Alderson-Day, Peter Moseley, Angela Woods, Guy Dodgson, Stephanie Common, Charles Fernyhough
Schizophrenia November 26, 2025 DOI: 10.1038/s41537-025-00690-2 (opens in new tab) via PubMed Central
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractFelt presence—the sensation that someone else is nearby despite no sensory evidence—has been recognized in psychosis for over a century but has been difficult to study. Recently it has been identified across multiple diagnoses and emphasized by people with psychosis as a clinical priority. This work describes how felt presence appears in a first-episode psychosis sample and reports initial links to affect, gender, and psychopathology.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Observational study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | First-episode psychosis sample |
| Key finding | Felt presence in first-episode psychosis shows preliminary associations with affect, gender, and psychopathology. |
Abstract
Felt presence (FP) - sensing another person without clear sensory evidence - has been described in psychosis for over a century but rarely studied due to challenges in recognition and assessment. Recently FP has been identified as a transdiagnostic phenomenon and highlighted by people with lived experience of psychosis as a clinical priority. Here we describe FP presentation in a first-episode psychosis sample and report preliminary associations with affect, gender, and psychopathology.