Psychotic Disorders
The word psychosis is used to describe conditions that affect the mind, where there has been some loss of contact with reality. When someone becomes ill in this way it is called a psychotic episode.
During a period of psychosis, a person’s thoughts and perceptions are disturbed and the individual may have difficulty understanding what is real and what is not. Symptoms of psychosis include delusions (false beliefs) and hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that others do not see or hear).
Other symptoms include incoherent or nonsense speech, and behavior that is inappropriate for the situation. A person in a psychotic episode may also experience depression, anxiety, sleep problems, social withdrawal, lack of motivation, and difficulty functioning overall.
What causes psychosis?
There is not one specific cause of psychosis. Psychosis may be a symptom of a mental illness, such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, but there are other causes, as well. Sleep deprivation, some general medical conditions, certain prescription medications, and the abuse of alcohol or other drugs, such as marijuana, can cause psychotic symptoms. Because there are many different causes of psychosis, it is important to see a qualified health care professional (e.g., a Clinical psychologist or psychiatrist) in order to receive a thorough assessment and accurate diagnosis.
A mental illness, such as schizophrenia, is typically diagnosed by excluding all of the above mentioned causes of psychosis.
The findings indicated that there are 1.5 crore people suffering from severe mental disorders (psychoses) in India, and that severe diseases have higher representation at specialized as well as general hospital clinics.
What are the early warning signs of psychosis?
Typically, a person will show changes in their behavior before psychosis develops. The list below includes behavioral warning signs for psychosis.
- Worrisome drop in grades or job performance
- New trouble thinking clearly or concentrating
- Suspiciousness, paranoid ideas or uneasiness with others
- Withdrawing socially, spending a lot more time alone than usual
- Unusual, overly intense new ideas, strange feelings or having no feelings at all
- Decline in self-care or personal hygiene
- Difficulty telling reality from fantasy
- Confused speech or trouble communicating
Any one of these items by itself may not be significant, but someone with several of the items on the list should consult a mental health professional. A qualified Clinical Psychologist or Psychiatrist will be able to make a diagnosis and help develop a treatment plan. Early treatment of psychosis increases the chance of a successful recovery. If you notice these changes in behavior and they begin to intensify or do not go away, it is important to seek help.
Do people recover from psychosis?
With early diagnosis and appropriate treatment, it is possible to recover from psychosis. There are so many people who receive early treatment never have another psychotic episode. For other people, recovery means the ability to live a fulfilling and productive life, even if psychotic symptoms return sometimes.
What should I do if I think someone is having a psychotic episode?
If you think someone you know is experiencing psychosis, encourage the person to seek treatment as early as possible. If you feel that person is reluctant, you may encourage the family members to seek help on his behalf as the person with this condition losses touch with reality and sometimes is unable to make right decisions about taking treatment. Psychosis can be treated effectively, and early intervention increases the chance of a successful outcome. If someone having a psychotic episode is in distress or you are concerned about their safety, consider taking them to the nearest emergency room or any hospital for immediate help.
Why is early treatment important?
If psychotic symptoms are left untreated, they can lead to disruptions in education and professional work, causes strained family relations, and isolation from friends. The longer the symptoms go untreated, the greater the risk of additional problems. These problems can include substance abuse, being admitted to the hospital, having some legal trouble, or developing chronic symptoms.
Studies have shown that many people experiencing first episode psychosis typically have presence of mild symptoms for more than a year before receiving treatment. It is important to reduce this duration of untreated psychosis because people tend to do better when they receive effective treatment as early as possible.
(This material used here is courtesy NIMH.NIH.gov/health services website and statistics courtesy NIMHANS )