Psychosis
What is psychosis?
Psychosis is when you perceive or interpret reality in a very different way from people around you. You might be said to 'lose touch' with reality. The most common types of psychotic experiences are hallucinations, delusions and disorganized thinking and speech.
There are a lot of misunderstandings about what it means to experience psychosis. Lots of people wrongly think that the word 'psychotic' means 'dangerous'. The media often shows people with psychosis behaving like this even though very few people who experience psychosis ever hurt anyone else.
What are the types of psychosis?
Hallucinations, and they could include seeing things that other people don’t, experiencing tastes, smells and sensations that have no apparent cause, or hearing voices that other people don't.
Delusions, they usually are beliefs that nobody else shares and which other experiences or perceptions show cannot be true. It is very natural for delusions to feel completely real to you when you are experiencing them. Those delusions may even be paranoid in nature or (Persecutory), or of grandiosity (delusions of grandeur) which makes treatment harder to start or continue.
Disorganized thinking and speech can also be a specific type of psychosis. People suffering from this type may start speaking very quickly and stumble over their words or link words together because of how they sound. They may also have trouble focusing on one topic or you might find them changing topics very quickly.
What causes psychosis?
There are many causes for sudden (acute) psychotic episodes separate from having a psychotic disorder. These causes can include:
Physical illness/injury.
Abuse/trauma.
Recreational drugs.
Alcohol and smoking.
Some kinds of medications.
Severe hunger.
Lack of sleep.
Bereavement (mourning).
Spiritual experiences.
Genetic causes.
How can we at Mind Clinic help with psychotic episode?
Every person going through psychosis has their own treatment plan tailored for them depending on many different factors. First we begin by doing a risk assessment then a full medical and psychiatric assessment if possible. Thus, a personalized plan can be created. Treatment plans might include:
Hospital admission:
A hospital admission is considered if the person suffering from a psychotic episode is posing any risk on himself or others around them. It allows for close monitoring and evaluation around the hour.
Medical treatment:
With Anti-psychotic medications.
Psychotherapy:
Usually done after remission from a psychotic episode. It helps with the lasting effects of a stressful event such as psychosis, how to get back to normal life and with post-psychotic depression.
Family therapy for the family of a person suffering from psychosis. The main aims of these sessions is to help them understand, and know the proper ways of helping the affected family member. As well as helping them navigate these stressful situations as they are affected by it as well.
Citations:
What is psychosis? – mind (2020) What is Psychosis? Available at: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/psychosis/about-psychosis/ (Accessed: 01 October 2024).