Cytokines are small proteins that are important in immune response while neurotropins are vital in promoting brain cells survival.This study compares the production of cytokines and neurotrophins between patients with sudden onset of psychosis and those with confusion. We aim to look at 30 hospitalised patients in a psychiatric hospital. In this study, each patient will be requested to complete an inteview to measure their psychiatric symptoms and some intellectual tests to determine their working memory at the start of the study. All patients will then be followed-up every 2 (+/- 1) days (to allow for weekends), in which they will repeat all the tests as a measure of their progress throughout the study period. At the same time, we will also be collecting blood samples from all patients to allow us to study the cytokines and neurotrophins level.
