Psychosis and its Treatment

Psychosis and its Treatment
July 20, 2021 Lighthouse Network

A loss of contact with reality that may lead to delusions and hallucinations is called as psychosis. It is a well known symptom of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, but can have other causes as well. The disorder affects the manner in which a person thinks and perceptions. Individuals find it hard to distinguish between reality and illusion, which is why they require a psychosis treatment plan.

Since the delusions seem to be very real, persons with psychosis may not be aware of the disorder. Overwhelming feelings and confusions may even cause individuals to hurt themselves in certain cases. The following paragraph will describe warning signs to show that children require a psychosis treatment plan.

Warning Signs Among Children

Parents must be alert in case children begin talking about strange ideas and fears. They may start saying a lot of things which do not make sense and are also likely to start clinging on to parents very often. Children who had good relationships with their peers may suddenly become withdrawn.

Here are some general symptoms for psychosis:

  • Social withdrawal and spending too much time alone
  • Worrying drops in job performance or grades
  • Strange or No Feelings
  • Paranoid and Very Intense Ideas
  • Frequent Mood Changes
  • Sleep Problems
  • Major Decline in Personal Hygiene
  • Difficulties in communicating or confused speech
  • Unusual psychomotor behavior such as tapping, fidgeting, and pacing

Remember that none of these symptoms will seem to be individually significant, but a person with many of them certainly needs professional help. Trained professionals who can help include social workers, psychiatrists, or qualified psychologists. After diagnosis, a comprehensive treatment plan has to be made with all of them in the loop. Early treatment will largely be able to lead towards successful recovery.

Voices Inside the Head

Audio hallucinations are fairly common among people with schizophrenia. The voices may make people believe that they really exist, which isn’t true. Voices may be one or many, and can display the following characters:

  1. Criticize or give instructions to the person
  2. Be of someone who has died recently or even be non-specific
  3. Be constant or intermittent

Hearing these voices can be very confusing for a schizophrenic person. Treatment will prevent it, but only till the time the medication is taken.

Treatment of Psychosis

The main type of treatment is in the form of antipsychotic drugs that reduce symptoms. However, there have often been debates on how these drugs are being overused in countries such as the US and UK, especially in case of children. They have resulted in certain side effects such as:

  • Irritability
  • Excessive Weight Gain
  • Heart Trouble (some cases)

Of course, antipsychotic drugs have substantially improved since their administration in the 1980’s. Compared to the UK, they are currently less restricted in the US.

Individuals must understand that though the drugs will be able to eliminate symptoms of psychosis, they will not be able to treat the underlying cause of schizophrenia. Such medications must only be consumed under the supervision of a doctor.

 

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