Psychosis describes a time period by which an individual has lost some contact with reality and is seeing, hearing and/or believing things that usually are not real. During a period of psychosis (called a psychotic episode), an individual may additionally turn out to be very suspicious of others.
Psychosis will not be a mental illness, but a symptom of mental illnesses reminiscent of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression. It is more common than is often discussed and will be very frightening and confusing for those affected.
Many aspects can result in a psychotic episode. These aspects include:
Psychosis doesn't occur suddenly. Instead, an individual steadily changes their thoughts and the best way they perceive the world before their first psychotic episode occurs. It's essential to acknowledge the early signs of psychosis and get it treated as quickly as possible.
There are plenty of symptoms of psychosis, including:
Hallucinations
Hallucinations are seeing, hearing, or feeling that things usually are not really there. A one who begins to experience psychosis may hear voices, have strange sensations, or glimpse things that don't exist or usually are not there.
Delusions
Delusions occur when someone believes something irrational – and continues to consider it even in the event that they are proven fallacious. A standard delusion is that external forces control our thoughts, feelings, or actions. Sometimes individuals with delusions also think that they've special powers or that they're God.
Disorganized thoughts
Also called “formal thought disorder,” this symptom seems like racing or out-of-control thoughts. It will be difficult to keep up a conversation with someone whose thoughts are disorganized in this fashion because they often jumble up their words, conflate unrelated words that sound the identical, abruptly change the topic, or be unable to focus on one thing.
Decline in self-care
Someone affected by psychosis often stops keeping themselves as clean and well-groomed as they were before symptoms began. They may additionally not care about their skilled or academic success and the standard of their work decreases in consequence.
Psychoses typically begin in childhood and present unique challenges to their caregivers and other adults of their lives. A successful treatment approach is to assemble a team of healthcare professionals and specialists to create a personalised treatment plan for a psychosis patient.
Because psychosis could cause someone to behave in ways in which others find frightening, psychoses can find yourself isolating. Unfortunately, isolation can actually increase the symptoms of psychosis. When considering a treatment plan for a patient with psychosis, it is necessary to prioritize contact with friends, family, and the community.
Standard treatments for psychosis include:
Medication
There are antipsychotic medications that may also help relieve the symptoms of psychosis. Some people have to take antipsychotics for the remaining of their lives, but others may steadily reduce their dosage and stop taking them altogether when there is important improvement.
psychotherapy
Although they alone might not be enough to stop psychosis, individual talk therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy, commonly used for depression and anxiety, have successfully helped individuals with psychosis. These therapies have been proven to scale back the necessity for hospital treatment.