What Is Psychosis? The 9 Types Of Psychosis That Exist And Their Main Symptoms
What is a psychosis? What are the different types of psychosis that exist and their symptoms? Discover how to recognize a psychotic break and how to deal with it through psychology.
The psychosis It is a condition that affects the way people process information. In this way, when a person suffers from a psychotic crisis he ends up losing contact with the reality that surrounds him. Psychosis can be due to suffering from a mental or physical illness, substance abuse, or experiencing excess stress or intense trauma.
The psychotic disorders They are a group of serious diseases that affect the minds of people who suffer from them. For this reason, people who suffer from psychosis usually have difficulties in making good judgments or decisions, which leads to many problems adapting to reality. Most cases of psychosis can be treated so that those who suffer from it can have a ‘normal’ life.
Types of psychosis
There are different types of psychosis Among them, we find the following.
Schizophrenia: People who suffer from this psychotic disorder They usually have many changes in their behavior due to the delusions and hallucinations they suffer from. When someone has schizophrenia, this illness affects both a personal and professional level.
Schizoaffective disorder: This psychosis It is characterized by presenting symptoms of both schizophrenia and a mood disorder (such as depression or bipolar disorder).
Schizophreniform disorder: These types of psychosis They usually include symptoms of schizophrenia that last a shorter time (between 1 and 6 months).
Brief psychotic disorder: People who suffer from these types of psychosis They often suffer a brief, sudden period of psychotic behavior, often as a response to a very stressful event, whether it be the death of a family member or the breakup of a relationship. In these cases, recovery is usually quick and then you return to normal.
Delusional disorder: In this type of psychosis the symptom The key is to suffer from a delusion, that is, a false and fixed belief. These types of thoughts end up getting involved in real life in such a way that there is a belief that there is a conspiracy against the person.
Shared psychotic disorder: This illness happens when a person who has delusions spends so much time with another person that the latter also adopts it.
Substance-induced psychotic disorder: These types of psychosis They are related to the use or withdrawal of certain drugs. People who suffer from these psychotic attacks usually have hallucinations, delusions and suffer from confused speech or erratic behavior.
Psychotic disorder due to medical conditions: There are diseases that can impair some brain functions, such as suffering from a head injury or a brain tumor. In these cases, it can also occur psychosis
Paraphrenia: Paraphrenia is a psychosis which usually has symptoms very similar to those of schizophrenia. The main characteristic is that it develops as a result of dementia due to advanced age.
In most cases, psychosis It usually goes through a series of stages before triggering its ‘strongest’ symptoms. In this way, the pattern that follows is the following.
Warning signs before psychosis
Most types of psychosis usually begin with a series of gradual changes in the way we think or understand the world around us. Therefore, people may begin to have psychotic behaviors as the following.
Difficulty concentrating
Discomfort with the people around you
Lack of self-care or personal hygiene
Spend more time alone
Emotions stronger than those required in various situations
Signs of early psychosis
When the first symptoms of psychosis are not controlled, people can lead to the following.
Hearing, feeling, or seeing things that others don’t
Having unusual beliefs or thoughts, even if they are very crazy ideas
Social isolation
Stop taking care of yourself
Not being able to think clearly or pay attention
Symptoms of a psychotic break
The psychotic crisis or psychotic break It is one of the most characteristic symptoms of psychosis. In this way, the person begins to notice everything we have mentioned plus the following symptoms.
Hallucinations: A hallucination consists of perceiving certain sounds, images or sensations that do not really exist.
Delusions: Delusions are beliefs that do not make sense but that the person feels as if this were really reality. Some examples of this could be believing that external forces control a person’s feelings and actions, or that these people have special powers.
Causes of psychosis
Although it is not known exactly what can cause psychosis the reality is that there are a series of risk factors that contribute to developing different types of psychosis.
Genetics: Genetics may be one of the factors that contribute to triggering a psychosis
Drugs: Taking certain drugs such as alcohol, marijuana, LSD and amphetamines can contribute to developing a psychotic disorder
Trauma: The death of a loved one, as well as having suffered a sexual assault or a very traumatic event, can cause a person to suffer from a Psychotic attack
Injuries and illnesses: Brain injuries, as well as brain tumors or other degenerative diseases (such as Alzheimer’s, dementia or HIV) can lead to certain diseases. psychotic symptoms
The psychosis and its treatment It is mainly focused on using medications and psychotherapy to end all its symptoms.
As for medications, the main type of drug used to prevent a psychotic episode They are called ‘antipsychotics’. These medications are not a cure, although they are very effective in controlling all the symptoms that are triggered by a psychotic disorder.
In psychotherapy sessions we try to treat psychosis through investigating different techniques to deal with your symptoms and the cause that led to them.
How to deal with psychosis?
In addition to psychiatric and psychological treatment, people should try to work within themselves to be able to best address psychotic symptoms Psychologists recommend the following tips.
Join a support group: A support group or group therapy can help you overcome a psychosis In this way, through these groups, people who have psychosis symptoms can cope better when they share them with others who also suffer from them. Additionally, listening to the experiences of others can help you feel more understanding of your illness.
Use self-management techniques: Self-help can be effective if used rationally. In this way, using techniques such as mindfulness or relaxation exercises can help you cope with some of the psychotic symptoms Also, setting some daily goals can be useful coping methods to manage a psychotic crisis.
Take control of the voices: If you hear voices, a good way to deal with them is to take control of them. For this, during the psychotic breaks You can try talking about them, distracting yourself or trying to keep track of them through a diary (which will also be helpful during sessions with a mental health specialist).
The psychosis It is a disease that affects all areas of a person’s life. Despite this, being able to control it and reach a turning point is possible if you go to a psychology professional. Leaving behind what psychosis entails is possible.
