Psychotic disorders, or psychosis, describe those who are disconnected from reality. Psychosis isn’t about people who may have a couple of beliefs that could be viewed as irrational. Instead, it describes people who have lost touch with reality altogether.
Someone with psychosis doesn’t know what’s real and what’s not. A person with psychosis may hallucinate, have their delusions, and behave in a way that comes across as chaotic.
In some cases, they may have what is known as a persecutory delusion. A persecutory delusion is when someone believes that there are people out to get them, even though there is no evidence to support
that. Having some skepticism about a person’s intentions is one thing, but a person with psychosis may believe everyone is part of a conspiracy to bring them down. This delusion happens even though the person isn’t of any importance.
The Many Branches of Psychosis
Psychosis does not subscribe to one mental disorder. There are many types of psychosis disorders you have. Let’s look at them.
Schizophrenia
You have probably heard of this. It’s the most common form of psychosis. You experience hallucinations and delusions, as well as behavior changes. You are unable to function in school, work, or socially.
To be schizophrenic, you must have been experiencing these issues for more than six months.
Schizoaffective Disorder
This disorder is when you have schizophrenia, but you also have a mood disorder. A mood disorder is an anxiety, depression, or any other disorder that affects your mood.
Delusional Disorder
This disorder is when you have easily disproven beliefs, but you believe them no matter what. Delusions range from thinking you are a divine being to believing you are sick when you not. For the delusional disorder to be diagnosed, it needs to last a month.
Schizophreniform
This disorder is a brief form of schizophrenia. In this disorder, your episodes don’t last for six months.
Brief Psychotic Disorder
This disorder continues on the path as schizophreniform. You have short and instant episodes of behavior that could be considered to be psychotic. These can last up to a month and tend to be situational.
Substance-Induced Psychotic Disorder
When you suffer from withdrawal from certain drugs, you may have psychosis symptoms. These include meth, alcohol, or other hard drugs.
Medical Condition Psychosis
This condition is when you have psychosis symptoms due to another medical condition. Usually, this will occur in people who have a disorder affecting the brain, such as a tumor.
Diagnosing Psychosis
Your gender is not determinate by whether or not you’ll develop psychosis. It tends to develop in the teen years through early adulthood, but it can happen at any age. If you have someone in your family who has psychosis, you may develop it as well.
The cause is unknown, but it’s believed to be due to certain chemicals in your brain not working correctly. Psychosis may also be due to brain injury, which can happen in the development of the fetus.
To diagnose psychosis, a medical doctor will look at your history, perform a psychical exam, and try to rule out any physical reasons for why you’re behaving this way.
Afterward, a psychiatrist will look at you and use their tools to determine if you have a psychosis disorder.
Treating Psychosis-Is it Possible?
There is no cure, but there is treatment. Antipsychotics are one medicine you can try. This can help to manage the symptoms of psychosis. You’re less likely to have delusions and hallucinations if you take them.
Everyone is different, so what may work for one person may not work for another. Your doctor may prescribe more than one medication and try to find the right combination for you.
Treating psychosis can also involve psychotherapy. A therapist can work with you to identify triggers for your delusions, look for ways to come back to reality when you experience them, and help you to keep your psychosis in check.
Also, diet, exercise, and other lifestyle changes can help as well.
Not everyone responds to treatment the same. You rage, gender, and how severe your episode is can play a factor. However, seeking treatment is still important.
So is diagnosis. If you suspect you have a psychosis disorder, getting a diagnosis can help you determine if you have one or not.
For more information on diagnosis, please visit:
https://www.mind-diagnostics.org/blog/psychosis/all-you-need-to-know-about-bipolar-psychosis
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