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Psychosis
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What
is psychosis?
The word psychosis describes a set of symptoms that are
far more common than you might think. The best way to
describe psychosis is that it's like losing touch with
reality. Young people describe it as their mind playing
tricks on them or having a feeling like you have taken
drugs when you have not. This is because young people
experiencing psychotic symptoms often have unusual thoughts,
feelings and behaviours. These symptoms can include:
Confused thinking
Even the everyday thoughts, which allow us to live our
lives, can become disordered and jumbled making things
hard to make sense.
Delusions
This is a medical word for a false belief that someone
has, which the rest of his or her culture, community or
family/whanau does not have.
Hallucinations
This is when someone sees, hears, feels, smells or even
tastes something that is not there.
Flat emotions
A person may not feel or react as they used to
and may appear "slowed up"
Paranoia
A young person may think that everything is about them
and that they are in danger in some way.
What are the early warning signs?
Although sometimes the symptoms come on very quickly,
sometimes they follow a period in someone's life when
things have not been going well. Close friends and family/whanau
may notice that they;
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Act a bit suspiciously |
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Seem to lack energy or motivation |
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Become moody in a way which is unlike them |
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Become forgetful and can not concentrate like
before |
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Have periods of being anxious and depressed |
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A person may stop being into stuff they used to
be into |
What causes psychosis?
We don't really know this yet. We do know that people
are more likely to have these symptoms if there have been
other members of their family that have had them. We also
know that some people seem to have their symptoms triggered
at times of stress, such as problems at home, school or
with friends. Using drugs and alcohol also seems to trigger
these symptoms in some young people. Psychotic symptoms
maybe part of disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar
disorder and depression.
How many people get it?
About three in a hundred people will experience psychosis
at some point, which makes it slightly more common than
diabetes! Most of these will first get symptoms in their
late teens and early twenties.
How is psychosis treated?
Medication can help reduce symptoms and in some cases
gets rid of them altogether. Usually medication is combined
with helping young people understand their symptoms and
to deal with the stresses in their life, which may involve
talking to a psychologist or other therapist. Helping
the whole family cope with the psychosis and support in
school/work stuff also helps. Whatever the approach it
is important to get help as early as possible. People
do recover from an episode of psychosis.
Where can I get more information?
If you are worried about yourself or a friend/family member,
a good place to start is with your GP or school counsellor.
The links below will take you to more in depth info about
psychosis.
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