Psychosis

by Matt Dymerski, Jeff Clement (Narrator), C. Lake (Voice Contributor)

Jeff Clement narrates this psychological tale of terror from author Matt Dymerski, about a man who begins to question what is real and what is not after he spends a little too much time in his apartment alone. The tale “Psychosis” itself is one of the most popular creepypasta / short horror stories to ever appear online, so please read (and listen!) on to find out just why so many people love this story.

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Short Stories, Audiobook, Dystopia

Audiobook

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Matt Dymerski is an author and of science fiction and horror. His works cover a wide range, from short story anthologies to full-length novels.

Dymerski is a favorite author in r/nosleep, a popular reddit forum where authors share original horror stories. In 2012, he was awarded Best Multi-Part Story of 2012 for the Asylum series.

Reviews

[ren !! · Rating 3 out of 5]

short and sweet little creepypasta!

i loved how liminal the space is, it's all just a dirty little basement apartment and the few surrounding corridors for the most part, and it's almost always dark and silent, which really immerses the reader and enhances the atmosphere. it creates a great sense of dread of what lies Beyond the Door and how no matter what, we must Never Open the Door.

the protagonist's descent into madness was INCREDIBLY fascinating to me! it was gradual but not too slow, in fact it was fairly quick, but not in a rushed way -- in a good way. seeing how he twisted the narrative to fit his insane theories and justify them was just so cool. ESPECHIALLY when he's destroyed all his electronics, then equates his eyes to cameras, so he literally gouges his eyes out. SO COOL! not the literal act of doing that, of course, but the thought process that led to such an action. fascinating! such a good unreliable narrator.

the plot twist at the end just when the reader's mind is already made up and is sure of the conclusion, that ends up being totally different, is so cool and well done. what i really love about it, though, is that it wasn't as if john wasn't psychotic -- yes, he was right all along, but the fact that he IS psychotic was what prevented him from succumbing to his captors. what is an impairment in such a scenario becoming a saving grace...

awesome stuff! :)

[Gloria Cook]

Relatable

[Pilar L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

*** thanks creepcast (April 5 2025)

*** classic creepypasta with a decent twist at the end. (January 27 2026)

[LignjaHal · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.0/5.0
I heard this story through the CreepCast podcast and it was an incredibly engaging story.
The title is fitting as you watch a man descend into psychosis, all the while wondering if there is something else beneath the surface.
The ending lines of this short story brings the mysteries into focus in a way that was satisfying and impactful.

[Amara Tanith · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the earliest creepypasta / Internet horror stories I "read", courtesy of the early (i.e., free) years of the NoSleep podcast. I remember enjoying the story, though I didn't adore the brief and rapid-fire twist-untwist ending.

[Bporter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listened to this performed by Otis Jiry. Mr. Dymerski can tell a story: I loved it. Something about it was so cohesive and professional, and of course I loved the plot and protagonist. I am going to read everything he’s got now.

[roriiiii · Rating 3 out of 5]

As someone who often spends long periods of time with no social interaction, this was suitably creepy! That said, I wish the ending didn’t include that last bit from the doctor’s POV. The mystery of whether or not the mc was right was much more fun.

[Judy Cadena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Paranoid much? Then this is for you! By the end of the story, you get to shove a big "I told you so" in every face that ever laughed at your paranoia....if there's anyone left.

[Bambi Goggio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun sized tales of madness

[Ranjana · Rating 4 out of 5]

A captivating read indeed!

[Remi Mevertis-Karim · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite short stories, I've recommended it to so many people. Definitely psychological horror done right

[Amanda Hudgins · Rating 3 out of 5]

tw: eye trauma

Listened to the version by The Exploring Series on YouTube.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

KSKS

[Lars Jacobsson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think it’s a very well-written story because it leaves me unsure, that is up until the ending, which then ends up taking away from what made this story so great

[Sydney · Rating 3 out of 5]

definitely like a 3.5. it was good but kinda rushed and im not the biggest fan of the ending.

[nooria · Rating 4 out of 5]

(audio format)

[Sabrina Fair · Rating 5 out of 5]

I, too, lose my mind when a woman attempts to talk to me.

[Dre Scott-Urichen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I felt like I was going crazy too and it was solid but I was uncomfortable and not in the fun way

[Eurydactyl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Roughly 52.3 pages long.

A surreal, nebulous depiction of a seemingly psychotic episode.

[Taylor Seiverd · Rating 4 out of 5]

incredible.

psychological horror is one of my favorite genres of all time.

i listened to this through CreepCast with Wendigoon & Papa Meat.

listen. as a psychology major, this is written so well in the POV of a man suffering with paranoia. it is such a cool concept & plot line. throughout the story, i was jumping between “this man is going insane due to lack of human interaction” & “the coincidences really are strange.” just an incredible plot twist once you felt cemented in one theory.

i struggle with loving the doctor POV or hating the ending doctor POV. it takes away the mystery of whether or not John was truly paranoid or his fears being real. maybe if the POV was written slightly differently with the opportunity of interpretation i would prefer. i jump back & forth.

the one quote i loved in this story:
“he wanted to smile at the man’s steadfast resolve, a reminder of the humans will to survive”

regardless, i truly enjoyed this story for what it is. it is a creepypasta that engraved itself as one of the best. & it truly deserves the title.

[Katie White · Rating 4 out of 5]

The twist was good but did we need it explicitly explained to us?

[Jayden Ostdiek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easily one of my favorite creepypasta-esque stories. The whole book you're questioning this person. Really short and a good read.