Symptoms of Psychosis
The purpose of this chapter:
Reduce the risk of psychosis by:
When people first encounter psychosis, they are often looking for information about what is happening to them and what exactly psychosis is. This chapter discusses the symptoms that are characteristic of psychosis. We will look in turn at hallucinations, delusions and disorganisation (confusion). It is important to emphasise that each person is unique and psychosis can look different in different people. Completing the questionnaire will give you the opportunity to look at your own symptoms of psychosis.
Psychosis is a serious mental illness that affects the way a person thinks, feels and behaves. People with psychosis may lose touch with reality and experience hallucinations, delusions and disorganised thinking.
This means that the symptoms of psychosis can vary in severity from person to person. Some people may experience only mild symptoms, while others may experience more severe symptoms that significantly interfere with their daily life.
If you are concerned that you or someone you know may be experiencing psychosis, it is important to seek professional help.
A mental health professional can assess your symptoms and provide treatment to help you manage your condition.
The questionnaire at the end of this chapter gives you the opportunity to assess your own symptoms of psychosis.
This questionnaire is not a diagnostic tool, but it may help you to identify areas of concern. If you are concerned about your symptoms, please speak to a mental health professional.
I hope this blog has been helpful in providing you with some information about psychosis.
It's important to seek professional help as soon as possible. Psychosis can be a distressing and isolating experience, but with the right treatment and support, it is possible to manage symptoms and lead a fulfilling life.
The exact number of people who experience psychosis for the first time each year in the Netherlands is not known, but it is estimated to be around 2,000. This number includes people with schizophrenia spectrum disorders, as well as people with other types of psychosis. In total, more than 120,000 people in the Netherlands have experienced at least one psychosis.
There are many different types of psychosis, but some of the most common include:
This is a chronic and severe mental disorder that affects a person's thoughts, perceptions, and behaviors. It can cause hallucinations, delusions, disorganized thinking, and social withdrawal.
This is a mental health condition that causes significant shifts in a person's mood, energy, and ability to function. People with bipolar disorder may also experience psychosis during episodes of mania or depression.
This is a form of depression that can cause severe symptoms of depression and psychosis. People with psychotic depression may have hallucinations, delusions, and disorganized thinking along with feelings of hopelessness, worthlessness, and guilt.
This is a type of dementia that affects memory, thinking, and behavior. People with Alzheimer's disease can experience psychosis, including hallucinations and delusions, as the disease progresses.
This type of psychosis is caused by the use of substances like drugs or alcohol. People who use these substances may experience hallucinations, delusions, and disorganized thinking when they are under the influence.
As you can see, psychosis can manifest in many different ways and can be caused by various factors. It's important to remember that there is help available for people experiencing psychosis, and with proper treatment, many people can manage their symptoms and live fulfilling lives. People with psychosis may experience a variety of symptoms, including:
This is the experience of seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling, or feeling things that are not there. For example, someone with auditory hallucinations may hear voices that are not there.
This is a false belief that is held with absolute conviction, even in the face of evidence to the contrary. For example, someone with delusions of persecution may believe that they are being followed or watched.
This is a disturbance in thinking that can make it difficult to follow someone's train of thought. For example, someone with disorganized thinking may jump from one topic to another, or their speech may be rambling or incoherent.
This can include feelings of anxiety, agitation, or depression.
Psychosis can be a very confusing and frightening experience. It is important to remember that you are not alone, and that there are many people who can help you. If you are experiencing psychosis, it is important to seek professional help. A mental health professional can assess your symptoms and provide treatment to help you manage your condition.
Here are some additional details about psychosis:
If you are concerned that you or someone you know may be experiencing psychosis, it is important to seek professional help. A mental health professional can assess your symptoms and provide treatment to help you manage your condition.
It's important for people to know that they are not alone in their experiences and that there are resources available to help them manage their condition.
Psychosis often involves people largely losing touch with reality. During psychosis, people may experience hallucinations, delusions and symptoms of disorganization. The severity, duration and frequency of these symptoms can vary from person to person. The various symptoms are discussed below:
People with psychosis may experience perceptual disturbances, such as hearing voices that others do not hear. This is called hallucination. They may also have other sensory experiences that do not match reality, such as seeing, smelling, tasting or feeling things that are not there.
Persons with psychosis may have thinking disorders. They may have thoughts that do not match reality, which are called delusions. This can range from having suspicious beliefs that others want to harm them to having delusions of grandeur in which they believe they have special powers, identities or missions.
Disorganization is common in people with psychosis. This may manifest as confused behavior, difficulty following conversations, having incoherent speech or displaying strange behavior that others may perceive as incomprehensible or inappropriate.
Hallucinations are sensory experiences that occur in the absence of a real stimulus. For example, someone with auditory hallucinations may hear voices that are not there. Visual hallucinations can also occur, and people with psychosis may see things that are not there.
Delusions are false beliefs that are held with absolute conviction, even in the face of evidence to the contrary. For example, someone with delusions of persecution may believe that they are being followed or watched. Delusions of grandeur may lead someone to believe that they are a famous person or have special powers.
Disorganization refers to a disturbance in thinking and behaviour. People with psychosis may have difficulty organising their thoughts and their speech may be rambling or incoherent. They may also have difficulty carrying out simple tasks or taking care of themselves.
It is important to note that each individual is unique and the symptoms of psychosis vary from person to person. For example, some people may primarily experience hallucinations, while others experience more delusions or disorganization. In addition, symptoms may fluctuate in intensity and frequency over time.
Our perception of the world around us takes place through the five senses: hearing, sight, smell, taste and touch. These senses act as the link between the outer world and our inner world of experience. Sometimes, however, there can be a disturbance in our perceptual ability. In that case, our brain itself creates sensory information, such as hearing a voice, without the relevant sense (for example, hearing) actually receiving this information. This disturbance in the brain causes the sensory information (for example, hearing a voice or smelling a fire smell) to be interpreted as if it came from outside, rather than from within. This phenomenon is known as hallucinations.
Hallucinations are sensory perceptions with no external source in the outside world. They occur as a result of incorrect information processing between our senses and brain. The perception takes place in our inner world of experience. While a person who hallucinates perceives these experiences internally, others in the outside world will not make the same observations.
Different types of hallucinations are distinguished based on the five senses:
This includes hearing voices or sounds.
This refers to seeing things, images or visual phenomena.
This involves perceiving smells that are not actually there.
This refers to experiencing tastes, often considered strange or unusual.
These can range from feeling something happening inside the body, usually in the intestines, to perceiving touch that is not there in reality.
Auditory and visual hallucinations are the most common, while the other forms of hallucinations are less frequent. It makes sense that auditory and visual ones are the most common, since those are our main senses for communicating and taking in information.
Understanding the different types of hallucinations and how they can occur contributes to a better understanding of the experience of people affected by them. It also provides the opportunity to provide appropriate support and treatment for those who experience these symptoms.
A delusion is a thought caused by a disorder in the content of thought. The defining characteristic of a delusion is that what you are thinking does not match reality. Delusions are thoughts that do not match the information coming from the outside world. They usually relate to yourself and can vary greatly from person to person.
Here are some examples of delusions:
This involves being convinced that others are malicious toward you or are harming you, when there is no evidence of this.
This can manifest as the belief that you must save the world from all evil or that you are a messenger of a higher power.
In addition, ideas of relationship may occur, where you feel that others perform or refrain from performing certain actions especially for you. These may also include specific messages you think you are receiving through television, radio or the meaning you assign to objects or events in your environment.
Delusions are beliefs that are based on false conclusions. What is characteristic is that these beliefs are stubbornly held even when there is evidence that they are incorrect. The main distinction of delusions is that they are not part of the normal beliefs within a (sub)culture or religious framework.
Understanding and recognizing delusions is essential in supporting and treating people affected by them. Because of the complexity and individual variation of delusions, it is important to deal with these experiences in an empathetic and sensitive way, with professional help and support being of great importance.
In psychosis, symptoms of disorganization may also occur, manifesting as disorder in thinking, speaking, acting and feeling. As a result of a disorder in information processing in the brain, a person may no longer be able to bring order to his functioning. This leads to incoherence in various areas of daily functioning.
Here are some examples of disorganization symptoms:
People may have difficulty thinking and reasoning logically. They may jump from heel to heel in a conversation, start sentences but not finish them, and be unable to distinguish between main and secondary issues. The ability to see logical connections is lost. People who are disorganized in their thinking often experience difficulty in maintaining an overview of their own actions and thinking.
This is manifested by a person being busy with many different things at once and having difficulty completing tasks. For example, someone who plans to go to the movies, heads out the door, but returns halfway through with no apparent or logical explanation, or starts doing something else entirely.
People may start grinning or laughing unexpectedly, for no apparent reason. They may also become angry or burst into rage for no apparent reason. People who are disorganized in their emotions often experience difficulty adjusting to daily social life and interacting with others.
It is important to note that disorganization symptoms can vary greatly in severity and manifestation in different individuals. They can have a significant impact on a person's functioning and their ability to perform daily tasks and engage in relationships.
Recognizing and understanding these disorganization symptoms is critical in providing appropriate support and treatment to people with psychosis. Professional assistance and counseling are essential to help them develop strategies to cope with these symptoms and promote the recovery process.
It's important for people to understand that psychosis is a spectrum disorder and can manifest differently in each person. The advice to seek professional help if someone suspects they or someone they know may be experiencing psychosis is also crucial.
With psychosis, other symptoms may occur in addition to those previously mentioned. Although these symptoms need not be directly related to psychosis, they often occur together and partly influence how you feel.
Here are some examples of these symptoms:
People may experience sudden and unpredictable mood swings. For example, they may feel depressed, anxious, irritable or extremely upbeat. These changes in mood can significantly affect a person's overall well-being.
During psychosis, people may notice changes in their appetite. They may start eating more or less than normal. The same is true of sleep patterns, where a person may have difficulty falling asleep, wake often during the night or, on the contrary, require excessive sleep.
Psychosis can affect a person's self-confidence. They may feel insecure about themselves, doubt their own abilities or just experience an exaggerated sense of self-confidence.
People with psychosis may often feel nervous or tense. They may experience a constant sense of restlessness, which can lead to inner tension and restlessness.
Feelings of anxiety are common in psychosis. People may feel anxious for no apparent reason, worry about unrealistic threats or experience a general feeling of fear that affects their daily lives.
Increased irritability is also a possible symptom in psychosis. Minor irritations or frustrations can easily lead to violent emotional reactions, causing the person to become quickly irritated, angry or frustrated.
It is important to note that these symptoms can vary individually, and not everyone with psychosis will experience all the symptoms. However, the presence of these symptoms can affect a person's overall well-being and functioning.
Understanding and recognizing these additional symptoms is important to providing appropriate support and treatment. A multidisciplinary approach, including professional counseling and therapy, can help manage these symptoms and promote the recovery process.
If the psychotic symptoms (also called positive symptoms) have subsided after treatment, sometimes residual symptoms remain. These are called negative symptoms, which are associated with loss of function. We will discuss this in more detail later.
Probably your psychotic experiences are now (partly) behind you. To get a clear view of your psychotic experiences you have to look at yourself from a distance. Only then can you see what bothers you and what does not.
The following questionnaire is an aid in identifying your possible symptoms. When completing it, remember that some symptoms are not there now, but have been there in the past.
You can complete the following list, with the following answers:
I think I can read the minds of others.
I think others can read my thoughts.
I think others spy on me or conspire against me.
I feel I cannot trust others.
I feel that people laugh at me or talk about me.
Religion means a lot to me.
I receive messages intended for me through the radio and/or TV.
My thoughts seem to stop suddenly.
My thoughts move so fast I can't keep up with them.
I think I have a special assignment in life.
I feel bad and guilty about things I used to do.
I hear voices/sounds.
I see things/images/shapes that others don't.
I have a strange taste in my mouth.
I smell odors that others don't.
I feel tired or constantly lack energy.
I don't feel like doing anything.
I feel empty.
I feel like I can't cope, I have trouble completing daily tasks.
I find it difficult to concentrate and think logically.
I have trouble keeping my attention on daily things.
I just want to be left alone, want to withdraw.
I feel like family and friends leave me cold.
I feel forgetful or that everything passes me by.
I have no interest in taking good care of myself or looking groomed.
My speaking is confused and/or I use different words.
I feel very confused.
I start things but I don't finish them.
I find it hard to make decisions about everyday things.
Others have trouble following me.
I suddenly become angry or aggressive for no apparent reason.
I am easily irritable or snappy.
I have gloomy/depressive feelings.
I have low self-confidence.
I have little confidence in the future.
I feel guilty.
I feel lousy for no reason.
I feel very excited.
I have restless, unrefreshing sleep.
I sleep a lot.
I have bad dreams.
I have no appetite for food.
I am losing weight.
I feel useless or hopeless.
I constantly feel like I have to do something, but there is nothing of importance to be done immediately.
I have nagging pain in my head, muscles and the like.
I feel anxious.
I feel anxious or nervous.
I use a lot of alcohol and/or a lot of drugs.
I argue easily.
I am stubborn or am unreasonable.
I feel easily adrift or angry.
I am overly aggressive or pushy.
I talk or laugh to myself.
It's important for people to know that psychosis is a treatable condition and that there is hope for recovery. With the right support and care, most people can lead fulfilling lives.