Psychosis

Overview

Psychosis is an umbrella term for several psychiatric disorders. Possible symptoms include an impaired relationship with reality, delusions, hallucinations, distorted perceptions and changed emotions. Disorders of the self and thought disorders occur. The causes can be emotional or physical. Among others, drug abstinence and a good social network can have a preventive effect.

Symptoms

Symptoms depend on the form of psychosis and vary in severity

• Odd behaviour that deviates from social norms
  • For outsiders, impossible/difficult to understand
  • Patients “live in their own world”
  • Patients often think that their environment has changed rather than they themselves
• Personality changes
• Thought disorders
• Impaired relationship with reality (delusions, hallucinations)
• Disorders of the self (impaired self-other distinction)
  • Patients feel estranged from their own being
  • Believe their thoughts and feelings are determined by others
  • Believe their thoughts are being “listened to” or stolen
• Don't accept that they are ill (in particular during the acute stage)
• Generally too much or too little mental activity
• Social withdrawal
• Generally can't cope with the usual demands of life

Causes and treatment

Causes

Endogenous/non-organic psychoses

• Mental illness
• Coincidence of several causes (see chapters on individual disorders)
• Possible causes (excerpt)
  • Genetic factors (family predisposition)
  • Neurotransmitter dysfunction (chemical messengers in the brain)
  • Psychological and social factors
  • Use of drugs (e.g. cannabis)
• Possible diseases (excerpt)
  • Schizophrenia
  • Affective psychoses: Major depression, mania or bipolar disorder
  • Certain personality disorders

Exogenous/organic psychoses

• Identifiable physical cause (physical disease)
• Possible diseases (excerpt)
  • Craniocerebral trauma
  • Epilepsy
  • Stroke
  • Brain tumour, brain metastases
  • Infections of the brain
  • Alcoholism
  • Abuse of drugs
  • Dementia, Alzheimer's disease
  • Special form: postpartum psychosis

Further treatment by your doctor / in hospital

Possible tests

• Conversation
• Psychological tests
• Search for an underlying physical disease
  • Blood test
  • Physical examination
  • Imaging, e.g. MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)

Possible therapies

• Treatment of an underlying disease
• Psychotherapy
• Psychotropic drugs
  • Antidepressants
  • Antipsychotics
  • Tranquillisers
• Social support measures

What can I do myself?

• Self-help group (sufferers and families)
• Don’t use drugs
• Avoid social withdrawal as far as possible
• Family members play an important supporting role
  • Make sure that medication is taken regularly, if necessary
  • Social integration/structure
  • Recognise warning signs (e.g. suicidal thoughts, sudden changes)
  • Organise specialist support/measures in good time

When to see a doctor?

• Perceptions, behaviour and thought patterns that interfere with everyday life
• Feeling that “something is wrong”
• Thinking problems
• Emotional flattening
• Withdrawal behaviour
• Crude changes in personality, emotions and behaviour
• Failure to accept something is wrong (frequent) despite presence of symptoms: family members should contact a specialist

Further information

Selbsthilfe Schweiz (Self-Help Support Switzerland)
www.selbsthilfeschweiz.ch

"Leben mit Schizophrenie": Informationsplattform für Angehörige und Bezugspersonen (“Living with schizophrenia”: information platform for relatives and caregivers)
www.lebenmitschizophrenie.ch

Synonyms

psychosis, postpartum psychosis, postnatal psychosis, psychotic disorder, psycho syndromes