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What are the Symptoms of Psychosis?

Brad Cole
Brad Cole

It can be somewhat difficult to nail down a comprehensive list of the symptoms of psychosis since so much depends on the individual and the precise problem being experienced, but some of the most common include hallucinations, delusions, and profound personality shifts. Mood swings and depressive episodes are frequently also included. Most medical and mental health professionals discuss symptoms in terms of specific psychotic episodes and disorders. Although it isn’t technically incorrect to group people suffering from various mental ailments under the broad umbrella of psychosis, this is increasingly seen as over-general and outdated. Also, looking at disorders individually can provide a more meaningful context in which to discuss specific symptoms.

Problems of Vocabulary

Symptoms of psychosis may include auditory and visual hallucinations.
Symptoms of psychosis may include auditory and visual hallucinations.

Psychosis is a term often thrown around in colloquial conversations and in the media and it tends to generate a lot of attention. Fictional detectives on a television show might be trying to figure out the next move of a killer suffering from some strange psychosis, for instance, or a popular teen magazine could include a quiz for readers to determine if their crush is too crazy to date because he or she “is psychotic.” Perhaps because of this, in the modern psychiatric community, the term “psychosis” isn’t usually considered a clinical term the way it may have been decades ago. In most of the scholarship and literature, it’s been replaced by other more specific words that point to defined conditions.

Psychotic Disorders Generally

The symptoms of psychosis should only be interpreted by trained medical professionals.
The symptoms of psychosis should only be interpreted by trained medical professionals.

Schizophrenia and bi-polar disorder are two of the most commonly diagnosed psychotic disorders in most parts of the world. A serious condition known as “psychotic depression” can also develop in some people. Sometimes these sorts of problems are genetic, or they may come as a result of fluctuating hormones or intense environmental stress. In certain instances they can also be triggered by tumors, particularly those impacting the brain, and may be exacerbated or worsened by drug and alcohol use. For most people, early symptoms that either they or those around them notice are some of the first signs of a disorder.

Hallucinations and Delusions

Psychosis causes discomforts such as delusional thoughts and paranoia.
Psychosis causes discomforts such as delusional thoughts and paranoia.

Hallucinations, which are sensory experiences that only exist in the mind, are often considered “classic” symptoms though the specifics can vary greatly from person to person. Most hallucinations are things that sufferers actually see and experience — images of people, sights, and sometimes even sounds and smells — that don’t actually exist outside of their minds.

Signs of psychosis include delusions and emotional disturbance.
Signs of psychosis include delusions and emotional disturbance.

Delusions, which are false beliefs brought on by mental or physical illnesses, are often closely related. People who suffer from psychotic delusions are often convinced that certain things are going to happen or will happen. In many instances these convictions are quite paranoid; people are certain they’re being followed when they’re not, for instance, or believe that their thoughts are being filtered and examined by other people or government entities.

Personality Shifts

Psychotic depression may keep people from performing certain tasks, such as cleaning their house.
Psychotic depression may keep people from performing certain tasks, such as cleaning their house.

Sufferers frequently also experience shifts in their personalities and behavior patterns. In particular, the speech and general social behavior of someone impacted by a psychotic disorder can be disorganized and even hostile, and is usually a sign of distorted thought processes that lack a rational basis. The person may even be exhibiting catatonia, which is a stupor that results in non-responsiveness and often includes either extreme muscle rigidity or flexibility.

Mood Swings and Depression

Feelings of apathy and being disconnected from others might be a symptom of psychosis.
Feelings of apathy and being disconnected from others might be a symptom of psychosis.

Symptoms frequently also include wild shifts in mood and extreme emotional highs and lows. People may be absolutely euphoric one moment, then nearly suicidal the next — often with little or no warning. This can go on for days or weeks at a time, and often leaves onlookers unsure of what to expect.

Getting Help

In nearly all cases, the symptoms of psychosis should only be interpreted by trained medical professionals. These medical professionals include medical doctors, psychiatrists, and psychologists. People who suspect that someone close to them may be psychotic should contact a professional immediately. Many hospitals have mental health help lines, and a number of community organizations can provide guidance, too. Attempting to treat or care for mentally ill people independently can be dangerous, and may even be illegal.

The exact psychotic disorder a person has is usually determined by a medical professional after a thorough exam, often using a book called the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). The DSM is published by the American Psychiatric Association (APA), and is the standard text consulted by psychiatrists and psychologists in most countries around the world. The volume is updated regularly and contains diagnostic criteria for most widely accepted mental disorders, including those considered to be psychotic disorders.

Discussion Comments

anon341485

@Latte31: As a person who lives with this, I can only say that preconceived notions about people like me are the bane of my existence.

I find that it's more of the environment than the person dealing with this challenge that determines the outcome. My family, for instance, has moved to a rural area, so I don't have to deal with the cacophony of having too many people around me at any given time, and it does help. We strive to live a simple life, with as few complications as possible. This has also helped the family in general, as we have had the time and energy to develop better relationships with our kids. Being removed from the 'average' lifestyle, or 'dropping out' as the hippies used to say, has had many unexpected blessings for which we are truly grateful.

While individual cases vary, I would say that the assumptions you present about isolation and unpredictability, again, relate more to environment than the people themselves. Lots of folks are "unpredictable and can develop anger with not much prodding." Haven't you read the news over the last few decades or so? I see this having more to do with the level of stress everyone deals with day to day in our 'modern' society, not any mental health challenges.

The ratio of horrific crimes committed by 'regular' people shows that the majority who murder spouses, children, random strangers, etc., are not mentally impaired (at least in the traditional/legal sense, although there is something vastly wrong with them to have been able to perpetrate said crimes, period).

You cannot deal with people as 'groups' rather than individuals or those 'preconceived notions' bite us all. Becoming 'educated' about something is much more than reading it in an article or a book, life has to be experienced to be understood.

My grandmother taught me to never judge a person till you've tried walking a mile in their shoes. Words to live by, if you want to live as a human being and not as a mindless robot.

GreenWeaver

I know that there is a large controversy pertaining to the use of antipsychotic drugs for treating the symptoms of psychosis in children.

Some of these medications are not nearly as effective and may cause brain shrinkage and long term damage as well as the possible development of Tardive Skinesia which is a disorder that causes involuntary movements and twitches similar to Tourette’s Syndrome.

About 20 to 30% of children that are being treated for their psychosis symptoms suffer from this condition. Medications like Haldol have also been known to cause heart abnormalities in some patients.

latte31

I just wanted to say that a I recently read that people diagnosed with psychosis have trouble doing the average day to day activities because their thoughts are so disorganized.

Other symptoms of the disease are that the psychotic person might appear disheveled and may lack personal hygiene.

Some of the negative symptoms of psychosis also include a lack of goal-setting expressions, limited coherent speech, and limited expression of feelings.

I also understand that these people tend to isolate themselves from others and can feel quite lonely at times. They also are unpredictable and can develop anger with not much prodding.

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    • Symptoms of psychosis may include auditory and visual hallucinations.
      By: auremar
      Symptoms of psychosis may include auditory and visual hallucinations.
    • The symptoms of psychosis should only be interpreted by trained medical professionals.
      By: jovanmandic
      The symptoms of psychosis should only be interpreted by trained medical professionals.
    • Psychosis causes discomforts such as delusional thoughts and paranoia.
      By: sebra
      Psychosis causes discomforts such as delusional thoughts and paranoia.
    • Signs of psychosis include delusions and emotional disturbance.
      By: Monkey Business
      Signs of psychosis include delusions and emotional disturbance.
    • Psychotic depression may keep people from performing certain tasks, such as cleaning their house.
      By: Gang
      Psychotic depression may keep people from performing certain tasks, such as cleaning their house.
    • Feelings of apathy and being disconnected from others might be a symptom of psychosis.
      By: Gina Sanders
      Feelings of apathy and being disconnected from others might be a symptom of psychosis.