Psychosis Management

What is psychosis?

The medical term for someone who has lost or ocassionally loses touch with reality is psychosis. It is not a medical condition. It is a term used to describe a symptom of other medical disorders such as schizophrenia. That said, it is important to note that psychosis vs. schizophrenia is not the same. Psychosis is a symptom of schizophrenia but could be a symptom of other mental conditions, such as bipolar. In comparison, schizophrenia is a disorder in itself that is manifested by other symptoms too. Early detection and treatment can help improve the the outcome for both psychosis and schizophrenia radically. Click here to learn more about Schizophrenia.

Psychosis Symptoms

Psychosis is characterized by two distinct features: hallucinations and delusions. Hallucinations are unreal things that happen in a person’s mind but not in reality. It’s when you hear voices or see things that you believe are there but are not. Delusions, on the other hand, are distorted beliefs about things. A person believing that they are being followed by the CIA or tracked by aliens when they really aren’t are delusions. 

Other psychosis symptoms include:

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Disorganized thoughts
• Social withdrawal
• Sleeping Problems, either sleeping too much or difficulty sleeping
• Aggression
• Self-harm
• Suicidal attempts or ideation
  

Psychosis Causes and Psychotic Disorders

It is not known what causes psychosis. But several factors contribute to it, including genetics, physical illness such as Parkinson’s Disease and brain tumor, psychotic disorders, and trauma.

Psychotic disorders are severe mental illnesses that are associated with psychosis. Here’s a psychotic disorders list:

• Bipolar Disorder (Click to read more)
• Catatonia
• Delusional Disorder
• Psychotic Depression
• Schizoaffective disorder 
• Schizophrenia
• Substance Use Disorder

Psychosis Treatment and Management with ThoughtWise

Early Treatment for psychosis leads to better life outcomes. It is crucial to seek help immediately after recognizing the first signs and symptoms of psychosis. 

Our process in ThoughtWise involves identifying a clear diagnosis through a series of psychiatric and medical evaluations where we get information about the patient’s medical history, family history, and a thorough physical examination.

From there, we will create a personal treatment plan for you or your loved one with psychosis based on the known cause of the psychosis. 

Our treatment plans at ThoughtWise are holistic. We take into consideration not just your well being as the patient but also those around you. 

The treatment for psychosis is a combination of medications and therapy. The medications are antipsychotic medications that help control the psychotic symptoms and lessens the frequency and intensity of each psychotic episode. 

In addition to medications, we also provide psychotherapy to help with the other symptoms that sometimes takes a while to go away with the medications. The therapy involves changing through patterns and behaviors that trigger the symptoms, working through your feelings about and towards the illness, and to improve overall functioning. The goal is to help you integrate into the real world and become an active part of society despite the illness. 

We also provide educational and social support to you and your family to help you manage the medication properly and effectively.

Start getting feeling better today. The sooner you get treatment, the sooner you can begin taking back control of your life.