Sleep deprivation and psychosis...

Do you find that if you are moderately sleep deprived, it exaserbates your psychosis? Can sleep deprivation trigger a full blown episode? I suspect my last relapse was brought on by sleep deprivation.

Yes, you can get a full blown episode from lack of sleep. Whenever I first started experiencing my hallucinations, I was working overnight and was struggling to get enough sleep, and my doctor recommended me trying to get off nights and onto either first or second shift, and I did, and I hallucinated less, but still did. Sleep is important. Even people without Schizophrenia can experience hallucinations and other psychotic episodes from lack of sleep.

Very true. I need to be more mindful of my sleep hygeine. I find i need at least 9 hours of sleep when im on medication to function optimally.

My first full blown episode was caused by not having a wink of sleep for 24 hours.

It was due to being told to come off my first antipsychotic by a GP at hospital because of its side effects of closing up my throat. Big mistake. Now whenever I go to hospital for whatever reason I ask if there is a psychiatric doctor around.