Brief Psychotic Disorder: Symptoms, Causes And Treatment
Thanks to the media, cinema and television, in the collective imagination of society it has been established, more or less clearly, what a psychotic disorder consists of and what happens to the person who suffers from it. However, these beliefs are riddled with stereotypes that can lead to confusion.
Psychotic disorders or psychoses are those mental disorders in which the person experiences damage to the ability to think, to react emotionally and to interpret reality. However, this disorder can appear briefly in previously healthy people, being classified as a brief psychotic disorder
Brief psychotic disorder is a state during which the person experiences a series of psychotic symptoms such as hallucinations, delusions, or disorganized thinking and speech among many others.
However, unlike other psychotic disorders, brief psychotic disorder appears suddenly and unexpectedly in presumably healthy people. The duration of these episodes is very brief, lasting between a day and a month at most. Likewise, once completed, the person can recover completely and without the need for this incident to be repeated.
As mentioned above, what distinguishes brief psychotic disorder is that it does not have to be associated with any other psychotic disorder, nor with the effect of drugs or any organic condition such as a brain tumor.
Although it is considered a low prevalence disorder, that is, rare, several studies have managed to verify that It usually appears in people between 30 and 50 years old and that the probability of it affecting women is twice as high as that of men.
Three subtypes of brief psychotic disorders have been detected, which can be classified according to their cause.
1. Following an identifiable stressor
This subtype of disorder It is also known as brief reactive psychosis and is generated by the appearance of a traumatic, stressful or event with great emotional impact; such as surviving an accident or catastrophe, abuse or the death of a close person.
2. Unidentifiable stressor
In this subtype it is not possible to identify or specify the reason that has caused the brief psychotic disorder in the person.
Following childbirth
According to some research, 1 in every 10,000 women experiences a brief episode of psychotic disorder shortly after giving birth. Specifically, the highest number of cases have been registered approximately four weeks after this
Symptoms
Brief psychotic disorder combines much of its symptoms with many other psychotic disorders, however, for it to be classified as such It is necessary that these symptoms only remain between a day and a month If they last longer, or more than six months, the possibility that it may be some other disorder will be considered.
The symptoms present in brief psychotic disorder range from delusions, hallucinations or disorientation, to catatonic behavior and alterations in attention and memory.
1. Delusions
Delusions make up a series of beliefs that, although the patient firmly believes in them, do not have any type of logical basis, nor can they be demonstrated in any way.
Although there are various types of delusions, in brief psychotic disorder Delusions of persecution, grandeur, and delusions of reference predominate
2. Hallucinations
Likewise, another of the most common symptoms within psychotic disorders are hallucinations. In these, the person actually perceives events or images that have never taken place and in which he completely believes, not perceiving them as hallucinations.
While the psychosis episode lasts, the person abandons any logical relationship of their thoughts, ideas appearing in a chaotic and disorganized manner.
As a result of this disorganized thinking, the patient experiences alterations in attention and memory processes, as well as great difficulties in language and speech
Some examples of these symptoms are talking incessantly about the same topic, continually moving from one topic to another, and presenting a speech full of incoherence.
4. Catatonic behavior
Catatonic behavior may include: a large number of motor disorders These disturbances include paralysis or immobility, hyperactivity, restlessness or excitement, or mutism. Likewise, stereotyped movements, echolalia or echopraxia are also included.
5. Other symptoms
In addition to all the symptoms mentioned above, there are a series of behaviors directly related to this type of disorder. These signs include:
Causes
Although the specific causes of this disorder have not yet been established, it is hypothesized that it is the result of the union of various factors, both hereditary, biological, environmental and psychological
Regarding the hereditary components of the brief psychotic disorder, it has been observed that it tends to recur within the same family. Likewise, the fact of Having a family history of psychosis has also been established as a risk factor
However, having a family history of both psychosis and this same disorder is not a sufficient condition to suffer from it. To do this, it is necessary that the hereditary factor be accompanied by stressful factors or contexts that facilitate its appearance.
On the other hand, and according to some psychodynamic currents, the appearance of brief psychotic disorder would have its origin in a person’s inability to manage their survival mechanisms. This means that the patient does not have the capacity to withstand or overcome a highly stressful event so the disorder arises as an escape mechanism.
Through a thorough psychological evaluation, the clinician must check if the patient has suffered any of the situations or circumstances that can trigger the brief psychotic disorder, such as physical, psychological or sexual abuse, experience of a traumatic event presence of a crime, etc.
According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V), this disorder is classified as a disorder of short duration not related to any type of mood disorder, substance use, or psychotic disorder.
In order to make a reliable diagnosis of brief psychotic disorder, the clinician must ensure that the person meets the following requirements:
Presence of one or more psychotic symptoms (delusions, hallucinations, negative symptoms, etc.).
Duration of symptoms of between one day and one month after which the person has completely recovered.
The symptoms are not explained by the presence of other psychotic disorders or by the consumption of toxic substances.
Treatment and prognosis
Since the disorder should subside in less than a month There is no established treatment for this being very similar to the intervention carried out in acute episodes of schizophrenia.
However, it is necessary to increase and maintain precautions during the duration of the episode since the person can harm themselves, harm others or even commit suicide.
Likewise, sometimes the appearance of a brief psychotic disorder is a warning sign that the person may be developing any other type of serious mental disorder, which is why it is vitally important to carry out a thorough observation of the patient’s evolution.
