Psychosis is a condition in which individuals become detached from reality. Common symptoms include hallucinations and delusions. The individual hears and sees unreal things and struggles to differentiate reality from imagination. The person experiences behavioral changes due to stress from psychosis. The change can affect the overall functioning of the individual.
Symptoms of Psychosis
The psychosis symptoms become worse and overt with time. The symptoms include:
- Delusions: The person strongly believes in something untrue. For example, they feel someone wants to kill them without evidence or motive. Some people with psychosis have a sense of grandiosity that they are the ultimate power.
- Distorted Thought Pattern: The individuals exhibiting signs of psychosis have difficulty processing their thoughts. Their conversation and speech appear distorted. Sometimes they make long pauses while having a conversation with others.
- Hallucinations: The individual experiences sensory problems. The individual experiences unreal things. The five senses are compromised;
- Sense of Sight: The individual thinks they see objects of different colors and shapes.
- Sense of Hearing: The person hears voices that do not exist in reality.
- Sense of Touch: The person feels they are touching something/someone, even though it does not exist.
- Sense of Smell: Individuals suffering from psychosis smell odors that others with them fail to experience.
- Sense of Taste: The person has taste in their mouth without consuming food.
Known Causes of Psychosis
The causes of psychosis include mental health problems, medical conditions, changes in the brain, and substance abuse.
- The mental health problems that can cause an individual to suffer from psychosis and related complications include:
- High Levels of Anxiety: Severe stress and anxiety related to personal and professional life can lead to psychosis and panic disorders.
- Schizophrenia: Schizophrenia is a mental health problem in which the person suffers from hallucinations and delusions.
- Postnatal Depression: Without support, the mother is at a higher risk of suffering from postnatal depression. The untreated and prolonged condition leads to psychosis.
- Bipolar Disorder: People diagnosed with bipolar disorder are more likely to suffer from psychosis without early diagnosis and timely treatment.
- Individuals diagnosed with mental health problems are more likely to struggle to accept reality. Patients with a medical condition require support, care, and hope, or else they are at a higher risk of suffering from psychosis as a coping mechanism. The medical health problems that increase the risk of psychosis are; MS, AIDS, brain tumors, Parkinson’s Disease and lupus, etc.
- Individuals suffering from extreme stress and anxiety may find temporary solutions. Consuming alcohol and illicit drugs provide ease from the pain and discomfort. However, it is a temporary relief and may increase the risk of psychosis.
- The changes in the brain trigger psychosis. The fluctuations in dopamine levels cause the individual to suffer from psychosis.
The psychosis treatment requires the combinational use of medications and therapeutic intervention. Antipsychotics help manage the symptoms of psychosis. Also, family intervention, cognitive behavioral therapy, and joining self-help groups allow the individual to differentiate between reality and imagination.
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