Psychosis

Psychosis General Information

Psychosis is a clinical term that defines a common psychiatric (mental) medical disorder that is mainly characterized by the patient’s loss of all contact with reality. Individuals who are diagnosed with the presence of this medical condition are considered psychotic patients. Individuals who are known to be suffering from this clinical illness generally describe delusional beliefs and / or hallucinations. Other clinical cases present disorganized thinking, personality changes, and so on. In some cases, such symptoms are adjacent to a bizarre, abnormal behavior; other patients who have been diagnosed with this mental illness are not able to carry out a normal daily routine.

A large variety of medical disorders that are known to affect the human patient’s central nervous system (commonly abbreviated as CNS) may produce clinical manifestations that are similar to those of Psychosis. This is one of the reasons for which this mental illness is also commonly known as the fever of CNS. This medical disorder is a very common, but unfortunately a very severe clinical illness. However, it is a widely known fact that various individuals from all over the world present a distinct, unique experience of their reality, at least once, at a certain specific point of their lives. A healthy individual will not be distressed by this matter. Because various healthy patients have reported that they have experienced special visions or have been given several types of religious revelations, psychologists still argue on whether this disorder is fundamentally separated from the healthy, normal human consciousness (some specialists consider that Psychosis is on a continuum with the average healthy consciousness). It is very important for all individuals to be able to differentiate between the term “psychopathic” and the term “psychotic”. Sadly enough, they are widely interchanged by individuals, regularly.

Psychosis Symptoms

The presence of this mental clinical disorder is known to trigger a set of clinical manifestations that generally affect the individual’s perception of reality, his or her behavior, his or her reactions, and so on. In this part of our presentation, we aim to present you the most common symptoms and / or signs that may be reported by patients who are suffering from this clinical illness (Psychosis). Hallucinations (clear perception without the presence of external stimuli) are widely reported by psychotic individuals. However, hallucinations are very different from perceptual distortions and / or illusions, which are misperceptions of present external stimuli. Hallucinations may affect all of the patient’s five senses. They are found in various specific forms.

The presence of this mental disorder is known to generally involve the presence of several beliefs, considered as paranoid. These symptoms have been classified by Karl Jaspers as primary and secondary delusions. This symptom is commonly reported by patients who are suffering from Psychosis. Delusions are known to arise in a sudden way. The formal form of a symptom generally known as thought disorder describes the presence of an underlying clinical disturbance that affects the patient’s ability to consciously think regarding the surrounding reality. Its effects can be easily spotted through the patient’s writing and his or her speech. For example, most individuals present speech pressure (they speak very quickly without ceasing), they switch the topic in the middle of the sentence or in an inappropriate (disturbing) way, and so on. Another puzzling but important manifestation of this disorder is the lack of insight into the patient’s behavior. Almost all patients who are suffering from this mental condition are sure that their delusions and / or hallucinations are real.

Psychosis Treatment

Although there are various therapy options that may be employed in the fight against this mental medical disorder, the appropriate treatment for Psychosis is known to generally depend on the type of the underlying medical disorder that has lead to the development of this mental illness (for example substance intoxication, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and so on).
The main treatment trial that is prescribed to most patients who have been recently diagnosed with this mental illness (Psychosis or schizophrenia) is known to be the medication therapy. Most individuals are prescribed therapies with antipsychotic remedies (either in their injection form or their oral form). In the most severe clinical cases, the patient may have to be hospitalized until his or her medical condition becomes more stable.

Recent studies have provided growing, solid evidence that new therapy options such as family therapy, cognitive behavior therapy, and so on can prove their high effectiveness against this medical disorder. If all other therapy options have proven ineffective against the patient’s Psychosis, ECT (a common abbreviation for electroconvulsive therapy) may be prescribed. It should be able to ease the patient’s symptoms, especially those that are caused by depression. Other researches have shown that another type of therapy (animal-assisted therapy) can also effectively help improve the patient’s general well being.

Patients who have been diagnosed with the presence of psychosis have also been prescribed psychotherapy. This is a widely recommended treatment option that is commonly confined to medication therapy. CBT (a common abbreviation for cognitive behavioral therapy) is generally employed in order to ease the individual’s symptoms and to increase his or her social functioning and / or self esteem levels. Recent studies have proven that this treatment option is an effective remedy for the patient’s psychotic symptoms that were triggered by the presence of this mental clinical illness (Psychosis). Education and / or family therapy involves the participation of the entire family of the individual who has been diagnosed with this disorder. If the patient follows this type of treatment for a prolonged period of time, he or she may receive various beneficial results.

Early therapy is very important in the patient’s effective management of his or her clinical condition, as it increases the individual’s chances of keeping Psychosis under control. If you want to know more information regarding the most common therapy options that may be employed in the therapy against this mental disorder, you should seek the professional advice of your health care provider. You should ask your physician if a therapy with Risperidone (one of the main drugs of choice in such clinical cases) would suit your medical condition.