What is Psychosis?
Psychosis is a mental health condition where a person loses touch with reality and may sense, hear, or see things that do not exist. Psychosis alters thinking ability, and the patient finds it difficult to accept reality and facts. A person with psychosis may experience frightening thoughts, delusional thoughts and may also try to hurt themselves or harm others. It is very important to seek help for this condition as soon as possible.
Symptoms of Psychosis
The wide range of symptoms of psychosis is related to hallucinations and delusions. They include:
- Hearing sounds or seeing things that others don’t
- Difficulty concentrating
- Inability to think clearly
- Being unable to trust anyone including close friends and family
- Being doubtful of and having discomfort around others
- Lack of cleanliness
- Having less sleep or too much sleep
- Non-stop talking or not talking at all
- Suicidal thoughts
- Depressive mood
- Irrelevant speech
- Social withdrawal
Causes of Psychosis
People with certain mental health disorders may also experience psychosis. The main causes may include
- Drug Use: Psychoticdrugs such as cannabis, LSD, psilocybin, methamphetamine, and MDMA can trigger psychosis.
- Genetics: Inherited genetic factors when combined with external environmental factors may cause psychosis.
- Brain Injury: Traumatic brain injuries, brain diseases, and strokes may result in psychosis.
- Trauma: Experiencing a sudden loss or death of a loved one, or any kind of severe mental or physical trauma can lead to psychosis.
- Hormonal Changes: Abnormal changes in hormone levels may also lead to psychosis.
Diagnosis of Psychosis
A physical examination is performed, and the medical and family history of a patient is reviewed. If brain injuries, tumors, epilepsy and other medical conditions are ruled out, then mental health disorder may be considered as a possible diagnosis. Further diagnosis is done through a psychiatric evaluation and monitoring and recording brain activity with an electroencephalogram (EEG) may be performed as one of the diagnostic procedures.
Treatment for Psychosis
Psychosis treatment involves psychotherapy and medications.
Medications:
Antipsychotic drugs: These drugs reduce the symptoms and help improve cognitive ability. Some prescription antipsychotic drugs used in the treatment for psychosis include:
- Haloperidol (Haldol)
- Chlorpromazine (Thorazine)
- Clozapine (Clozaril)
Psychotherapy:
Several types of psychotherapy that can be used for the treatment of psychosis include:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: This therapy helps a patient find out the difference between fact and fiction. It may also help in replacing frightening thoughts with more positive thoughts.
- Supportive Psychotherapy: This therapy helps the patient to learn about their symptoms and allows the patient to accept reality and deal effectively with the symptoms.
- Psychosis Treatment Centers: These centers provide 24/7 care for patients with severe psychosis.
- Family Psychoeducation: Family can play a vital role in patient recovery. This therapy focuses on improving the family bonds, increasing the sense of security, and helps the family as a whole deal with and manage the patient’s symptoms.
Dr. Priti Kothari provides comprehensive psychiatric evaluations and individualized treatment recommendations for children, adolescents, and adults in Boca Raton and Weston, Florida. If you wish to be advised on the most appropriate treatment, please call us at to schedule an appointment
