|
What is Psychosis?
The term psychosis is used to describe a condition of the mind that affects the way we think, feel and understand things. It is often described as "a loss of contact with reality".
What are the symptoms and effects of psychosis?
 Hallucinations.
A hallucination is when somebody hears, sees, tastes, smells or feels something that isn't really there. The most common kind involve hearing things, often voices. A person may hear voices criticising and mocking them, or keeping a running commentary on their actions. The voices can be familiar or completely unknown to the person, can be a single voice or many, and can happen for a large portion of the day or only occasionally. Everyone's experiences of voices is different. A person may also hear other sounds and even music. Hallucinations affect the other senses too. Visual hallucinations (seeing things) can involve distortions of what is really there, such as the face of a family member distorting to appear different from normal. They can also involve seeing things which are not there at all, like seeing rats, spiders or demons. This can be extremely disturbing, as you would imagine. Someone could also hallucinate a smell, and the sense of taste could be affected, making the person think that they are being poisoned.
Delusions.
Delsuions are fixed, false ideas that a person believes completely, however strange or unlikely the idea seems to others. No matter how convincingly the idea is disproved, they will continue to believe it. Somebody experiencing a delusion may, for example, believe that the police are after them, and have tapped their phones and have them under surveillance. They might even believe they are god, or otherwise very powerful and important. Needless to say, these experiences can be very involved and can affect a person's behaviour considerably.
Paranoia.
Paranoia is unfounded suspiciousness. This may manifest itself as feelings that somebody is after you and wants to kill you, that people are plotting and talking about you, or that your friends and family don't like you and are part of some conspiracy to make your life miserable. This is different from feelings of suspiciousness that people will experience in their everyday lives because it has little or no basis in fact, and is irrational.
Confused thinking.
Ordinary thoughts can become jumbled and disorganised. Sentences can be hard to follow, and conversation can be confusing and impossible to keep up with. It can be difficult to remember things and performing tasks can be harder than usual. Focusing can be tricky, so reading a book or watching a film becomes more of a challenge than it should be.
Changes in mood and feelings.
People experiencing this may feel unusually excited and upbeat, or very low and depressed. They may not enjoy things the way they used to, or might seem very flat and unemotional to other people.
Lack of insight.
It is common for someone experiencing psychosis to be unaware that they are ill at all. This may be referred to as a lack of insight. Someone lacking insight will not know that a voice they hear is a hallucination, and may be convinced it is someone in an adjoining room with a microphone talking to them. They have no way of knowing that believing they are god is unusual and not the truth. It would not seem odd to them that the police are spying on them, when there is no reason for them to be doing so.
Changes in behaviour.
These can be as a result of the above symptoms. Someone who fears for their life may begin to avoid going to certain places. Someone hearing voices may appear distracted or preoccupied, and have difficulty concentrating. They might even reply to the voices, giving the impression that they are talking to themselves. If the voices constantly criticise them, they may lose confidence and, for example, be reluctant to voice an opinion. A person may stop eating because they fear their food is poisoned. Sleep may also be affected. People can become socially isolated because of their experiences, avoiding contact with others and keeping to themselves a lot. They may also sit or lie around a lot of the time, not doing a great deal and seeming to be lethargic. This is very different from laziness. All of the above factors can, or course, affect a person's performance at school, college or work and make maintaining relationships difficult, even within the family.
What causes psychosis?
There are several theories as to what causes people to experience psychosis, but they will not be discussed and picked apart here. There are also some facts on the matter. One fact is that having a family member who has had psychosis increases the likelihood of you experiencing it. This suggests that there is a genetic component to the condition. However in identical twins, where both share the same genetic material, one having psychosis does not guarantee that the other will. This suggests that, while there is a genetic component to the condition, it is not entirely genetic. One school of thought says that there is a genetic 'vulnerability' to psychosis, but that something must later trigger it. This could be stress experienced in life, a traumatic event or the use of illicit drugs (such as cannabis) or alcohol. Psychosis can also be caused be a variety of medical complaints like head injuries, brain tumours, multiple sclerosis and AIDS. Often your doctor will attempt to rule out these sorts of possible causes first of all.
Who does psychosis affect?
Psychosis can literally affect anyone. It is experienced by people of all ages and races, from every type of background, the rich and the poor. In Britain over 100,000 people are treated each year for psychosis. Whilst it can affect people of all ages, there are certain ages at which it is most commonly first experienced. The overall average age at which psychosis is first experienced is 22, and in most cases, the age falls between 14 and 35.
How is psychosis treated?
Medication.
Psychotic symptoms can be controlled with the use of antipsychotic medications. These may also be referred to as "neuroleptics" or "major tranquillizers". They are generally divided into two basic groups, typical and atypical, and are available as pills, liquids, fast acting injections and long lasting (depot) injections. Not every medicine is available in all of these forms, however. Several other types of medicine may also be used alongside antipsychotics to treat psychosis. For more information, see the medication pages of this site.
Education.
Both the person affected and their family and friends can benefit from education about psychosis. This will help them to work towards recovery and deal with any symptoms that remain. The more the condition is understood, the stronger a person's position is. Education can also help to dispel some of the myths and stigma that surround mental illness.
Family Interventions.
There is now a lot of evidence to suggest that involving a person's family in their treatment can be of great benefit. A family that understands psychosis and knows what to expect can be more effective in their support of a loved one.
Practical support.
This could involve help finding suitable housing, planning a healthy diet, finding a college course of interest and assistance with finding employment. Psychosis affects many areas of a person's life, so it is important that this support is offered. With the help of this kind of support, a person affected by psychosis can go on to achieve their goals in life.
Talking treatments.
Talking treatments include group therapy and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). It could also include a user support group. This type of treatment can help a person develop coping strategies of their own, enabling them to deal with their experiences.
Hospitalisations.
If a person becomes very distressed by their psychosis, a stay in hospital may be the best course of action. The hospital stay can be voluntary, where someone agrees to go in, or involuntary. Involuntary admissions take place under the mental health act 1983, and can vary in length. The idea of either kind of stay is that a person can be observed and treated by professionals in a safe environment. No one looks forward to staying in hospital, but you may find talking to the other patients who have had similar experiences to you to be of some help.
What can I expect for the future?
It was once believed that a person affected by psychosis had little to look forward to. This is a myth of the past, and the truth is quite different. Recovery from psychosis is possible and anyone affected by it can go on to achieve their goals in life, given the proper treatment and support. For some people recovery can take a long time to attain. For others it can take a relatively short time. However it is without doubt possible, as many people have shown in the past. There are several examples of successful people and even world leaders that have experienced a mental illness at some point in their lives, yet gone on to excel. John Nash, Syd Barret, Ludwig Van Beethoven, Vincent Van Gough, Mark Twain, Winston Churchill and Ghandi are just a few examples.
|
