Factsheets - Psychosis
There are a lot of misconceptions about psychosis and the purpose here is to provide you
with as much facts as possible. Psychosis is scary for those suffering from it and also from
those who are involved with a loved one who is suffering from psychosis. The most important
thing to understand is that psychosis is treatable and recovery is possible.
The sooner the patient seeks help, the easier it is to treat. Loved ones must understand
that the person experiencing their first psychotic episode may not understand what is
happening. Thus the experience can be highly disturbing and unfamiliar, leaving the
person confused, fearful and distressed.
What Causes Psychosis?
At the moment, the cause of psychosis, especially the first episode is unclear. However, recent research have indicated that a combination of biological factors in early development may increase the vulnerability to experiencing psychotic symptoms during adolescence or early adult life. Symptoms are triggered in response to stress, substance use or social changes in vulnerable individuals. To make diagnosis as clear as possible, a person must undergo a through medical examination to rule of medical causes and undergo a through interview with a mental health therapists.
At times and this is my personal view, that psychosis is an abreaction and should be allowed to play itself out (if it is not life threatening). We may be too quick in suppressing it with drugs and thus compounds the problem for the patient. Do we not all sometimes get so overwhelmed by our peceived stresses that it pushes us into psychosis as a way for the mind to deal with the stresses and to vent it. Perhaps I am being naive. But I do trust the survival instincts that is within all of us.
Types Of Psychosis
It is not useful in the early stages to attach any label to a person's psychotic experience. It is especially difficult when a person is experiencing a psychotic episode for the first time to make a diagnosis that could pinpoint the exact type of psychosis. A diagnosis requires consistency in symptoms over an extended period of interviews and episodes experienced. This list is just for information purposes.
- Types of Psychosis and Possible Triggers
-Organic psychosis
-Drug induced psychosis
-Brief reactive psychosis
-Delusional disorder
-Schizophrenia
-Schizophreniform disorder
-Bipolar disorder
-Schizoaffective disorder
-Psychotic depression
Early Signs
So how can you tell if someone is suffering from psychosis? What are the early signs? There main intial symptoms are changes in mood and thinking that leads to noticable abnormal ideas.
- A person may become:
-suspicious
-depressed
-anxious
-tense
-irritable
-angry
- A person may experince:
-mood swings
-sleep disturbances
-appetite changes
-loss of energy or motivation
-difficulty in concentrating or remembering things
- A person may feel:
-their thoughts have sped up or slowed down
-things are somehow different
-things around them seem changed
- Friends and family may notice when:
-a person's behavior changes
-a person's studies and work deteriorates
-a person becomes more withdrawn or isolated
-a person is no longer interested in socialising
-a person becomes less active
-a person's personal hygiene and care deteriorates
Psychosis Symptoms
Some of the more characteristic symptoms of psychosis includes the list below. Note however that symptoms vary from person to person and may change over time.
- Confused Thinking
Everyday thoughts become confused and disjointed. Sentences are not clear or else it does not make sense. The person may have difficulties concentrating; difficulties in following a conversation or in remembering things. Thoughts seem to either speed up or slow down.
- False Beliefs
It is commone for someone experiencing a psychotic episode to hold false beliefs, known as delusions. The person can become so convinced of their delusion that the most logical argument cannot make them change their mind. For example, someone may see a van parked outside their house and assume that the police or terrorists are spying on them.
- Hallucinations
A person experiencing a psychotic episode sees, hears, feels, smells or tastes something that is not actually there. They may hear voices that no one else can hear or sees things that no one else can see. Things may taste or smell as if they are bad or even poisoned.
- Changed Feelings
How someone feels may change for no apparent reason. They may feel strange and cutoff from the world. Mood swings are common and they may feel unusually excited or depressed. A person's emotions feel dampened and they may show less emotions to those around them.
- Changed behavior
Persons experiencing psychosis may behave differently from the way they usually do. They may be extremely lethargic or active. They may laugh inappropriately or become angry or upset without apparent cause. Often the change in behavior is related to the symptoms described above. Thus, a person who believes that they are being spied on may resort to extreme evasive measures, person who believe that they are Jesus Christ may spend the day preaching in the streets, persons who believe that their food is poisoned may stop eating altogether or have trouble sleeping because they are scared.
If you know of anyone suffering from any of the early signs and symptoms described above, please
encourage them to contact a health care professional immediately. Early detection means early recovery.
If you are a caregiver to someone suffering from psychosis, please note that you are not alone.
Reach out for information and help.
Information for caregivers
If you are with a person when they are psychotic or behaving strangely, you may feel frightened or bewildered. It is important for you to remember that the person is still your child, husband, parent, sibling, friend or partner. It is difficult for a sick person to be who they usually are. There are no set rules on how you should behave or talk to a person who is psychotic. However, here are some general guidelines that can be helpful.
- How to relate to a person who is ill
| 1 | Be yourself |
| 2 | Understand that the person is ill. |
| 3 | Learn as much as you can about psychotic symptoms. |
| 4 | Understand that the person may be behaving and talking differently due to the psychotic symptoms and that psychotic symptoms are stressful for everybody. |
| 5 | It is ok to experience a range of feelings (shock, fear, sadness, anger, frustration, despair). Talking to other people will help you deal with these feelings. |
| 6 | Believe that the person will recover-even if it takes awhile. Be patient. |
| 7 | When a person is in the midst of an acute episode they may appear childlike. They need to be in a safe, comforting environment and sometimes they need others to help them with their decisions. They may exhibit a range of extreme behaviors. |
| 8 | Try not to take it personally if the person says hurtful words to you when they are unwell. Understand that they can be abusive because of their symptoms. |
| 9 | Persons suffering from acute psychotic sumptoms may seems fixed in their beliefs and ideas. Do not get involve in long disagreements but listen with interest to gain an understanding of their current reality - to show sympathy for future reference, to discuss when they are better. |
| 10 | Provide as much love, stability, understanding and reassurance as you can as well as help with practical issues. |
| 11 | Most important is that you take care of yourself. It is a balance between care, concern and not allowing yourself to get too run down. |
How we treat psychosis @Asiahypnosis
We do not really treat psychosis, what we do is:
- work with your doctors to help you manage and control your episodes;
- counsel and teach you methods that will help you manage your episodes;
- teach your caregivers ways to help you manage yourself and your episodes.
However, for some cases, learning how to let go, regression, forgiveness and relaxation can dramatically affect a person and remove all the signs of psychosis. Like all other form of presenting problems, we start with a batch of 3 sessions. At the end of the 3rd session, we will assess together if further treatments are necessary. If yes, we will start another batch of 3 sessions. If not, that is all the treatment that is needed and you are now able to manage on your own. Each session range between 1 to 1 1/2 hours. The length of the therapy depends on your progress. Every treatment is unique and tailored to your specific needs. 1 batch of 3 sessions can therefore range in period from 3 weeks to 3 months. The treatment itself is non-invasive and drug-free.
A new way to understand and treat psychosis
This series of videos summarizes 3 years of research by Sean Blackwell on an exciting and different way to understand, look and treat psychosis.
More information on psychosis
