A psychotic break is a serious condition that can overwhelm the people who suffer from it as well as their family and friends. Its causes are multiple and the meaning of its appearance may vary. Although, they are short episodes in themselves, what happens next? Has it been an isolated occurrence? Can the outbreak occur again? After a psychotic episode, many questions and doubts arise about the health and future of the person who experienced it. In this Psychology-Online article: Aftermath of a psychotic breakthere will be a review of what a psychotic outbreak is, its symptoms, what to do if we find ourselves facing a case and the possible consequences it may present.
What is a psychotic break
A psychotic break can be defined as a temporary break from reality, that is, the person suffering from a psychotic break experiences delusions and hallucinations, altering their perception and understanding of reality for a short period of time, without being able to clearly distinguish fantasy from reality. The causes that can cause a psychotic break can be varied and depend on both biological and psychological factors. Among the many causes is the consumption of drugs (especially hallucinogenic), being exposed to a high level of stress for a long time or present other psychological disorders.
It is important to distinguish that a psychotic break is not the same as schizophrenia, although its symptoms are similar. The is a long-term and stable psychotic disorder, while psychotic breaks are abrupttemporary and can be given in isolation or as part of another psychological disorder such as schizophrenia or .
Psychotic break: symptoms
The most characteristic symptoms of a psychotic break are the following:
- Hallucinations: sensory stimuli appear that do not correspond to reality. You see, hear, smell or feel things that are not real. The most common hallucinations are auditory, hearing, for example, voices that may or may not have coherent speech. Visual hallucinations are more rare, although they can occur.
- Delusions: they are false beliefs, that is, they are erroneous beliefs about real events, people or objects and we are absolutely sure that these beliefs are true. For example, the belief that the person is constantly being spied on by an acquaintance or family member. In the following article you will find the different ones.
- Disorganized language and thinking: Thoughts are incoherent, confusing, unclear, and meaningless. There is a tendency to jump from one topic to another without a clear structure in the speech, making it difficult to understand. The language also becomes disorganized and incoherent, making it very difficult to establish a conversation with the sufferer.
- Disorganized behavior: your way of acting is totally inappropriate in the context where you are. They can be unpredictable and impulsive.
- Catatonia: it is possible that you also suffer from psychomotor limitations, such as becoming immobile or extremely rigid or showing temporary mutism.
How to act in the event of a psychotic break
What to do in the event of a psychotic break? When a person has a psychotic break, the first thing to do is evaluate the severity of the condition, that is, being able to determine if the outbreak poses a danger to the affected person (self-harm) or to others, to avoid any damage, try to determine the origin of the outbreak and check the cognitive state. Once the safety of the affected person and third parties has been assured, the contact emergency services or hospital assistance to be able to hospitalize you. While you are in contact with the person and health services have not yet arrived, it is preferable to try maintain a calm environment and reduce the anguish and confusion of the affected person, speaking in simple and direct terms so that it is easier for them to understand what is happening to them. It is also advisable notify family and friends about what just happened and try to get the most trusted people to be with her.
Psychotic break: treatment
Treatment of psychotic break is as follows:
- Psychiatric treatment: The main treatment is antipsychotic drugs such as haloperidol or olanzapine.
- Psychological Support: to facilitate coping with the situation with information, tools and support. It is also essential to address the problem with families so that they can improve patient care and help. In addition, it is important to take care of the mental health of family members.
- Help from the environment: People close to the person affected by a psychotic outbreak will be the pillar of their social support and will have an important role in improving their prognosis and quality of life.
Aftermath of a psychotic break
Suffering a psychotic break for the first time is an experience that It can alter your entire life., can be the beginning of a psychotic disorder or a serious warning regarding drug use. Even if it is not the first time, people who suffer from psychotic breaks in a relatively cyclical manner due to their mental illness experience them in a distressing and exhausting way, just like the people who care for them. These can develop the .
With timely medical treatment and psychological care, someone who has suffered a psychotic break can soon stabilize and return to their daily lives normally. To determine the presence of future sequelae after a psychotic episode You have to look at the causes of it. Initially, people who have suffered an outbreak due to substance abuse are very likely to not suffer another episode in their lives, given that it has been an exceptional case, but as long as the consumption behavior is avoided. abusive. In other cases, in people who suffer from schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or another psychotic disorder, the probability of psychotic outbreaks reappearing is much higher and can deteriorate the quality of life.
One may wonder, therefore, Can a psychotic break be cured? And the answer is technically no. The outbreak itself is the manifestation of a complex interaction of factors and underlying problems that end up leading to those characteristic psychotic symptoms. A way to completely treat its causes has not yet been found. But does a psychotic break have a solution? For this question the answer is more encouraging. While it is true that the causes cannot be eliminated, its appearance can be avoided as much as possible through the pharmacological and psychological treatment already mentioned, improving lifestyle and having a good support network. In the worst case, if you suffer a psychotic break, quick action by the people around you will be of utmost importance to reduce your discomfort.
This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
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Bibliography
- Psychosis Prevention Program. Extracted on July 16, 2019 from: http://www.p3-info.es/view_article.asp?id=4&cat=1
- Vispe Astola, A., Hernández González, M., Ruiz-Flores Bistuer, M., & García-Valdecasas Campelo, J. (2015). From acute psychosis to the first psychotic episode: towards chronicity. Journal of the Spanish Association of Neuropsychiatry, 35(128), 731-748.