Gerald Hahn, MD, PhD

People found it hard to believe when Jürgen Klopp, a highly accomplished football coach, publicly quit his job at Liverpool FC in early 2024. His explanation: 'I am running out of energy'. Despite many success stories he had accomplished for the club, he felt so worn out that he believed he could no longer perform as well as his fans expected. His reasoning was simple. Just like a car that eventually runs out of fuel, it was the right moment for him to take a break before his own tank ran empty. So, he pulled the plug. This was unexpected for many, but it was also seen as admirable for openly sharing his state of mind with the public.

For about 1% of people around the globe, there comes a time when their world turns upside down entirely. It often begins during adolescence with trouble focusing, memory, and making plans. Thinking clearly becomes harder. Along with these cognitive problems, patients notice what are called negative symptoms: emotions fade, motivation drops, and it becomes hard to connect with others. It gets more alarming when other symptoms appear: hearing threatening voices, seeing or smelling unusual things (hallucinations), feeling persecuted, or believing unusual ideas (delusions). These symptoms, known as positive symptoms by psychiatrists, are all signs of psychosis.