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  • Psychosis: the causes, symptoms and treatment of psychosis

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    By psychosis, a strong perception of the world is strongly disturbed, in which the patient's mental reactions are contrary to reality.

    The term "psychosis" is used for a whole class of psychological disorders, the common feature of which is the person's inability to perceive the world around him in the way that healthy people do.

    Similar disorders are quite common. About 5% of the world's population suffer from pronounced psychoses. In this case, a much larger number of sick people are hidden from statistics, since this disorder has different forms, symptoms and different degrees of their manifestation.

    Classification of


    Psychoses are classified according to different characteristics, since the number of their manifestations is truly infinite. But the most informative classification is the division of psychoses by endogenous and exogenous type.

    In the first case, the disease develops within a person, the fault of which is a genetic predisposition. This type of psychosis includes schizophrenia, as well as bipolar and recurrent depressive disorders. With exogenous psychosis, the disease develops as a result of external influences, for example, due to severe psychological trauma, illness or intoxication.
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    Psychoses are very diverse. If you classify them according to the symptoms, then you can highlight an interesting feature. Symptoms can both be added to the existing psychological state of a person, endowing it with new personality traits, and replacing the person's personality, making it passive and lethargic. In the first case, there is a positive disorder, in the second case, a negative one.

    Causes of development of psychosis


    There are three main causes of the development of psychosis.

    The first reason is due to heredity. There are about 62 different genetic diseases, against which a psychosis of one degree or another can develop. It is worth noting that only a small part of these psychoses can be easily diagnosed.

    The second reason for the development of psychosis is in diseases in which a psychological disorder can be observed. Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, syphilis, multiple sclerosis, sarcoidosis, various brain tumors, Cushing's syndrome, stroke - this is far from an incomplete list of diseases that can trigger psychosis.

    In some cases, psychosis develops against the background of taking certain medications. Thus, the administration of NMDA antagonists sometimes causes a condition resembling schizophrenia. In addition, the use of alcohol, amphetamines and cocaine can lead to the development of psychosis, most often intoxication.

    Symptoms of psychosis


    Manifestations of psychosis are extremely diverse, which is explained by the individuality of each person.

    The main symptoms of psychosis are:

    1. 1) Hallucinations. Often there are auditory hallucinations, in which a person does not have any doubts about the reality of sounds and voices. If a person suffers from voices that sound like in the head, or are heard from outside, then often he can obey them, argue with them or just talk. Taste, olfactory and tactile hallucinations are also known.
    2. 2) Delirium. With delirium, a person blindly believes in an idea, which over time completely captures it. There is a delusion of persecution, in which a person believes that they are being watched or want to kill( see the neurosis of obsessive states).Delusion of damage, in which the patient believes that they want to harm him. The delirium of the impact of any secret services, extraterrestrial intelligence or witchcraft. Often there is a delusion of a hypochondriac, in which a person is convinced that he has a certain illness, is inclined to seek out new symptoms and requires doctors to pay special attention.
    3. 3) Appearance of depression or mania( see symptoms and treatment of depression).These conditions vary greatly in symptoms. If depression is characterized by a decrease in mood, a pessimistic outlook on life, thoughts of suicide and low self-esteem, then the manic state has opposite symptoms. So, it manifests itself in a heightened mood, excessive activity, excessive self-esteem, etc.
    4. 4) Movement disorders in which the patient has a stupor or excessive agitation. With a stupor, a person does not show much activity, he can look at one point for a long time, practically not reacting to external stimuli. From the proposed meal refuses, the questions are almost not answered. With excessive excitation, a person has the opposite state. He becomes too active, constantly talks, makes unpredictable actions, teases and appeals to the feelings of close people.
    Since psychosis is a complex disorder characterized by various symptoms, it is sometimes not easy to recognize a person's initial manifestations or exacerbation of the disease. There are certain signs by which close people can recognize the patient of certain manifestations of the disorder.

    The following actions point to the possible development of psychosis:

    • is very distracted, in which a person can not concentrate on a conversation or a particular action;
    • man peers into the void, follows the look at something, while it looks extremely tense, focused or frightened;
    • talks to oneself, especially if words are aggressive, and phrases are meaningless.
    • causeless and harsh laughter;
    • manifestation of conflicting feelings;
    • manifestations of fear, which is expressed in excessive caution and constant checking of doors, windows, food and water;
    • strange statements, devoid of any logic, etc.
    Read also how to treat neurosis.

    Treatment of psychosis


    As can be seen from the above, psychoses are really diverse and the number of their symptoms varies from case to case. In spite of this, the treatment of any psychological disorders proceeds according to a standard scheme, a large role in which medications are assigned. Self-medication in this case is prohibited.

    Only the doctor can prescribe all the necessary medications, taking into account the individuality of each case of psychological disorder, as well as the patient's information about his age, life and concomitant diseases.

    It is very important to establish a trusting relationship between the attending physician and the patient. It is not uncommon for a patient to believe that the drugs offered to him are not suitable or will only cause harm, and also resists any medication. The doctor's task in this case is understandable to explain the whole benefit of such therapy and convince the patient to take prescribed medications, strictly observing all recommendations.

    In the treatment of psychosis, as well as psychological disorders, social rehabilitation and psychotherapy play an important role, including working with the patient's family. Social rehabilitation helps the patient build new algorithms of action that are necessary for daily life and work.

    Psychotherapy is aimed at improving the attitude of the patient to himself. It allows a person to re-learn skills that will help in solving everyday problems, as well as social skills aimed at improving relations with a close environment.

    Thus, psychoses, although they have a destructive effect and sometimes pass into a chronic form with subsequent exacerbations, are amenable to treatment. In most cases, with adequate therapy, it is possible to achieve a lasting positive result, in which a person can live a normal life without fear of being again under the influence of this ailment.


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