Psychosis

Psychosis is actually a group of conditions, and it might manifest in different ways, but it’s usually treatable.

Psychosis

When someone starts to disconnect from reality and isn’t able to tell which is real and which isn’t, this is called psychosis.

Psychosis mostly occurs from the late teen years until the mid-twenties, but it could occur at younger ages, and it affects around 10-15 people out of 100,000 each year.

Causes of psychosis

There isn’t just one cause for psychosis, and it occurs due to a combination of genetic, brain, and environmental factors.

Psychosis is a common symptom of the following conditions:

• Schizophrenia.
• Bipolar disorder.
• Severe depression.

Other causes include:

• Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and dementia.
• Stroke, encephalitis, and meningitis.
• Addison’s disease and Cushing’s disease.
• Lupus, Lyme disease, and multiple sclerosis.
• Vitamin B1 and vitamin B12 deficiency.
• Sleep deprivation.
• Severe head injuries like concussions.
• Certain medications.
• Alcohol or drug misuse.
• High levels of stress or anxiety.
• Past or present traumatic experiences.
• In rare cases, postpartum psychosis.

Symptoms of psychosis

Psychotic patients might suffer from:

• Delusions, which are false beliefs that the patients think are true despite the fact that there is evidence that they are wrong.
• Hallucination, which means sensing things that don’t exist, like hearing voices or seeing things that no one but them can hear or see.

Diagnosis of psychosis

• Psychological evaluation.

Treatment of psychosis

• Psychotherapy.
• Medications.
• Support programs.