What is Psychosis?

Psychosis (sometimes called 'psychotic experiences' or 'psychotic episodes') is the perception or interpretation of a reality that is completely different from the people around you. You might say, 'You're losing your sense of reality.'

The most common types of psychotic experiences are hallucinations, delusions, and disorganized thinking and language. 

Mental illness affects people differently. You may experience it once, you may have short episodes throughout your life, or you may live with it most of the time.

What are the causes of mental illness?

The causes of psychosis can vary from person to person, and research is ongoing. Psychosis can be caused by several factors, including:

• Physical illness or injury.
• You may see or hear things if you have a high fever, a head injury, or lead or mercury poisoning.
• If you have Alzheimer's or Parkinson's, you may experience hallucinations or delusions. abuse or harm.
• You are more likely to develop a mental illness if you have been through a violent or traumatic event.
• This also applies to experiences with racism.

Recreational drugs. Researchers still aren't sure if recreational drug use directly causes psychosis, but they may hear or see things as a result of using certain recreational drugs, such as cannabis and LSD. If you have a mental illness, recreational drug use can make your symptoms worse, especially if you use strong cannabis ('skunks'). alcohol and tobacco.

Alcohol and smoking can prevent medications from effectively treating symptoms and increase the likelihood of relapse. prescribed medications. You may also experience psychosis as a side effect of certain prescription medications or when taking psychiatric medications.

Hunger. Hallucinations can occur when you are very hungry, have low blood sugar, or haven't eaten enough. lack of sleep. If you sleep very little, you may experience hallucinations. death. If you died recently, you can hear them talking to you. Even if you can't see it, you can feel it together.

Spiritual experience. Some people experience voices or visions as part of their spiritual experience. It can be a pleasant experience for you. It can help you feel special or important and make sense of life. But it can also be a negative experience. For example, you may feel possessed by evil spirits. heredity heredity. If you have a parent or sibling who is mentally ill, you're more likely to develop a mental illness, but researchers aren't sure why.

What is the treatment for psychosis?

For many people, psychosis cannot be treated quickly and easily, but with the right support, psychosis symptoms can be managed and recovered. This does not mean that the experience of psychosis will disappear completely. Symptoms may continue to occur during and after treatment. What therapy can do is help you learn how to cope so that the experience is less painful and doesn't interfere with your life.

What treatmentsare available?

Talk therapy can help you make sense of your experiences and develop coping strategies. You may be eligible for 'Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Mental Illness (also known as CBT). This is a type of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), especially for people with mental illness.

Antipsychotic medications are recommended as a method of symptom management for most people with psychosis. If mood symptoms occur, other medications such as antidepressants or mood stabilizers may be prescribed, and additional medications may be prescribed to help reduce the side effects of antipsychotic medications.

Art therapy can help you express your emotions in a variety of ways. If it's difficult to talk about your experience, it can help.

The family intervention focuses on helping family members talk to each other about how to be effective, how to solve problems, and how to plan for a crisis. Your doctor can check to see if this is possible in your area.