Make brain scans routine for new psychosis patients, experts say

Brain scans for new patients with psychosis are considered good practice but are not currently mandatory. Photograph: Mirko Popadic/Alamy

Patients experiencing psychosis for the first time should be routinely given brain scans to rule out underlying physical illnesses, according to psychiatrists.

A review involving more than 1,600 patients with a first episode of psychosis who underwent an MRI brain scan found that about 6% had a scan abnormality that led to a different diagnosis or a change to their clinical care.