Psychosis


The word psychosis is used to describe a group of conditions that affect the way a person thinks, feels and understands.

Typically, a person may experience unusual or distressing perceptions such as hallucinations or delusions, which may be accompanied by a reduced ability to cope with usual day-to-day activities and routines. Someone who has these unusual experiences is described as having an episode of psychosis.

Psychosis is most likely to occur in young adults in their twenties and can affect anyone including men and women from all walks of life. It is quite common and approximately four out of every hundred people will experience a psychotic episode at some time in their lives. Most people make a full recovery from the experience.

Psychosis can have an influence on the following:

1. Perception - seeing, understanding and interpreting reality.

2. Cognition - thinking processes, logical progression of thoughts, ideas and memories e.g. believing that you are being followed.

3. Mood - emotions, sadness, anxiety, depression, feeling detached or extremely low.

4. Personality - sense of self and identity e.g. feeling you are not really yourself

5. Behaviour – actions and responses. Sometimes a person will feel they are no longer in control of their own thoughts.

6. Movement - gestures, involuntary body movements

Psychosis is the behavioural manifestation of chemical imbalance in the brain. Its origins can be in faulty DNA, but many other factors contribute - family relationships, viruses, drugs, traumatic experiences, sleep deprivation.

Treatment is primarily chemical – neuroleptics, sedatives, antidepressants - but that does not preclude the importance of a supportive environment, psychotherapy, family therapy, TLC, and where necessary a taking over of control.