Why Psychopaths Will Harm You,

and Why They Don't Care

Mental Health Awareness Month ~ May 2017

Good Afternoon Blog Readers, Followers & Visitors!

We're back for our next Blog Session concerning mental health.  In our last Blog Session we discussed the topic of Psychopaths.  The definition of a Psychopath, as well as background information concerning the research conducted on the mental illness relative to both psychopaths and sociopaths was provided.

If you had your Journal on hand to take notes, then you will have plenty of background information that should open your eyes to what a psychopath is, as well as what a sociopath is.  We also talked about how some researchers make a distinction between “primary psychopaths,” who are thought to be genetically caused, and “secondary psychopaths,” seen as more a product of their environments.

In addition, we discussed a mental health category for something called  "antisocial personality disorder"  (APD), while the World Health Organization delineates a similar category it calls "dissocial personality disorder." 

At this point, please grab your Journals, because you'll want to take notes about "Why Psychopaths Will Harm You, and Why They Don't Care."

JOURNAL NOTES

One of the key features of psychopathy is insensitivity to causing harm in others.  Researchers have long attempted to understand why people high in psychopathy have this emotional blindspot.  A new investigation by University of Padova (Italy) psychologist Carolina Pletti and colleagues (2017) tested a new model to provide insights into the reasons behind the failure to care about the suffering of their fellow humans by those high in this trait.

As we discussed in our last Blog Session, and for further confirmation, according to Pletti and her fellow Researchers, it is a well-established finding that people with high levels of psychopathy are less able to recognize distress cues, including facial and vocal expressions of fear and sadness by people in need of immediate help.  The potential relationship between emotions and morality is addressed in the Integrated Emotion System Model (IES).  Most of us, according to the IES, learn early in our lives to avoid making other people sad or afraid.  Those who are psychopathic, though, do not and therefore are less likely to base moral decisions on their potential to cause suffering to others.

The reasoning behind the IES model involves simple reinforcement.  We've learned over our lives that it is bad to cause pain and suffering in others.  Consider what happens when an ordinary toddler pushes a playmate, causing the playmate to burst into tears.  Toddler #1 will feel sad at having hurt Toddler #2, and may even start crying too.  Such encounters teach children to avoid causing negative emotions in other people.  Individuals with psychopathy, though, don’t make this connection and go on to become adults who aren’t deterred from harming other people.  Neuroscientists trace this lack of empathy in part to a deficit in the amygdala, a part of the subcortex which processes emotional stimuli.  The other deficit occurs in a part of the cerebral cortex involved in decision-making that would utilize this emotional information.

Research Discoveries

As other researchers have noted, the high-psychopathic individuals were less distressed in the life-or-death sacrificial situations compared to their low-psychopathic counterparts. The highly psychopathic also were equally likely to lie in the harmful vs. harmless everyday situations, and they were also less emotionally distressed at the prospect of causing harm through their lies.  Interestingly, the highly psychopathic seemed able to judge whether it was morally right or wrong to deceive others, but this judgement didn't deter them from making the harmful choice.  As the authors concluded, “psychopathic individuals are less inclined to refrain from pursuing a personal advantage involving harm to others because of their emotional hypoactivity” (p. 364).

In summary, people high in psychopathy are able to distinguish between right and wrong, but don’t let this distinction affect their decision-making.  They also will pursue choices that benefit them, even if they know they’re morally wrong, because they don’t have the same negative emotions associated with those choices that non-psychopathic individuals do.  We can’t say that people high in psychopathy are unable to make moral choices, then, but it does appear to be justified to say that they will feel less anguish when they have to do so.  The rest of us don’t want to cause harm to others and feel very stressed when forced to do so, but those high in psychopathy seem to be able to make the “utilitarian” or logic-based choice without feeling particularly distraught.

If you’re in a relationship with someone you believe is high in psychopathy, the Italian study shows the dangers that you may run into if that individual would need to make a sacrifice on your behalf.  All other things being equal, you’re far better off being in relationships with people who both know, and care about, what’s best for you.

Be aware of the people in your life, and understand when you are involved with someone who is either a psychopath or a sociopath.  Point that person in the direction of getting needed psychological help.

Our discussions this month on mental health have been very interesting, and very informative for all of us . . .

Until our next Blog Session, keep your Journals on hand to continue taking daily notes concerning your emotions, feelings, thoughts, activities, and any important information that you find that you would like to make a note of.

See you back here on the Blog for more exciting conversation!

Peace, Love & Light,

 René

©Copyright - René Allen - MAY 2017 - All Rights Reserved

____________________

References:  Pletti, C., Lotto, L., Buodo, G., & Sarlo, M. (2017). It's immoral, but I'd do it! Psychopathy traits affect decision‐making in sacrificial dilemmas and in everyday moral situations. British Journal of Psychology, 108(2), 351-368. doi:10.1111/bjop.12205 

Dealing with a Psychopath

Mental Health Awareness Month

MAY 2017

Good Evening Blog Readers, Followers & Visitors ~

We are back once again to discuss another mental health issue.  If you have been following the Blog, then you will have your trusty Journal to take notes.  If you are new to the Blog, please take a moment now to Bookmark us, and add your email so that you may follow along by email.  In the right-hand column, you will see an area that says, "Follow by Email" ... just add your Email address, and click "Submit".

For everyone who does not have a Journal and pen ready to take notes, just grab some paper, or a Notebook.  You'll really want to take notes on tonight's subject matter.

Time to Journal

What is a Psychopath?

A Psychopath is a person suffering from chronic mental disorder with abnormal or violent social behavior.

First, before we talk about this mental condition, lets take a moment to go over a bit of terminological history so that we may clear up any confusion about the meanings of “sociopath” and “psychopath”,  and related terms...

In the early 1800s, doctors who worked with mental patients began to notice that some of their patients who appeared outwardly normal had what they termed a “moral depravity” or “moral insanity,” in that they seemed to possess no sense of ethics or concern for the rights of other people.  The term “psychopath” was first applied to these people around 1900.  The term was changed to “sociopath” in the 1930s to emphasize the damage they do to society.  Currently researchers have returned to using the term “psychopath.” Some of them use that term to refer to a more serious disorder, linked to genetic traits, producing more dangerous individuals, while continuing to use “sociopath” to refer to less dangerous people who are seen more as products of their environment, including their upbringing.  Other researchers make a distinction between “primary psychopaths,” who are thought to be genetically caused, and “secondary psychopaths,” seen as more a product of their environments.

Criteria Used to define sociopathy

The current approach to defining sociopathy and the related concepts is to use a list of criteria.  The first such list was developed by Hervey Cleckley (1941), who is known as the first person to describe the condition in detail.  Anyone fitting enough of these criteria counts as a psychopath or sociopath.  There are several such lists in use.  The most commonly used is called the Psychopathy Checklist Revised (PCL-R), developed by Robert Hare and his colleagues.  An alternative version was developed in 1996 by Lilienfeld and Andrews, called the Psychopathic Personality Inventory (PPI).  The book that psychologists and psychiatrists use to categorize and diagnose mental illness, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, (DSM IV) contains a category for something called  "antisocial personality disorder"  (APD), while the World Health Organization delineates a similar category it calls "dissocial personality disorder."  These are much broader categories than that of psychopathy.  The category of psychopath is seen as included within this category but considerably smaller so that only roughly 1 in 5 people with APD is a psychopath (Kiehl and Buckholtz, 2010).

If we overlay all of these lists of criteria, we can see them coalescing into the following core set:

Uncaring

The PCL describes psychopaths as being callous and showing a lack of empathy (traits which the PPI describes as “coldheartedness”).  The criteria for dissocial personality disorder include a “callous unconcern for the feelings of others.”  There are now several lines of evidence that point to the biological grounding for the uncaring nature of the psychopath.  For us, caring is a largely emotion-driven enterprise.  The brains of psychopaths have been found to have weak connections among the components of the brain's emotional systems.  These disconnects are responsible for the psychopath’s inability to feel emotions deeply.  Psychopaths are also not good at detecting fear in the faces of other people (Blair et al., 2004).  The emotion of disgust also plays an important role on our ethical sense.  We find certain types of unethical actions disgusting, and thus work to keep from engaging in them.  We also express disapproval of unethical actions.  But psychopaths have extremely high thresholds for disgust, as measured by their reactions when shown disgusting photos of mutilated faces and when exposed to foul odors.

Brain of a Psychopath

One promising new line of research is based on the recent discovery of a brain network responsible for understanding the minds of others.  Called the default mode network (because it also performs other tasks and is operating most of the time when we are awake) it involves a cluster of several different areas in the brain’s cortex.  The first studies have been done on the function of this network in psychopaths and as expected there are problems there.  Different studies have noted “aberrant functional connectivity” among the parts of the network, along with reduced volume in some of the networks crucial areas.

Shallow emotions

Psychopaths, and to a degree, sociopaths, show a lack of emotion, especially the social emotions, such as shame, guilt, and embarrassment.  Cleckley said that the psychopaths he came into contact with showed a “general poverty in major affective reactions,” and a “lack of remorse or shame.”  The PCL describes psychopaths as “emotionally shallow” and showing a lack of guilt.  Psychopaths are notorious for their lack of fear.  When normal people are put into an experimental situation where they anticipate that something painful will happen, such as a mild electric shock, or a mildly aversive pressure applied to a limb, a brain network activates. Normal people will also show a clear skin conductance response produced by sweat gland activity.  In psychopathic subjects, however, this brain network showed no activity and no skin conductance responses were emitted (Birbaumer et al., 2012).

Irresponsibility

According to Cleckley psychopaths show unreliability, while the PCL mentions “irresponsibility” and the PPI describes psychopaths as showing “blame externalization,” i.e. they blame others for events that are actually their fault.  They may admit blame when forced into a corner, but these admissions are not accompanied by a sense of shame or remorse, and they have no power to change the sociopath’s future behavior.

Insincere speech

Ranging from what the PCL describes as “glibness” and “superficial charm” to Cleckley’s “untruthfulness” and “insincerity,” to outright “pathological lying,” there is a trend toward devaluing speech among psychopaths by inflating and distorting it toward selfish ends.  The criteria for APD include “conning others for personal profit or pleasure.”  One concerned father of a young sociopathic woman said, “I can't understand the girl, no matter how hard I try.  “It's not that she seems bad or exactly that she means to do wrong.  She can lie with the straightest face, and after she's found in the most outlandish lies she still seems perfectly easy in her own mind” (Cleckley, 1941, p. 47).  This casual use of words may be attributable to what some researchers call a shallow sense of word meaning.  Psychopaths do not show a differential brain response to emotional terms over neutral terms that normal people do (Williamson et al., 1991).  They also have trouble understanding metaphors and abstract words.

Overconfidence

The PCL describes sociopaths as possessing a “grandiose sense of self worth.”  Cleckley speaks frequently of the boastfulness of his patients.  Hare (1993) describes an imprisoned sociopath who believed he was a world class swimmer.

Narrowing of attention

According to Newman and his colleagues the core deficit in psychopathy is a failure of what they call response modulation (Hiatt and Newman, 2006).  When normal people engage in a task we are able to alter our activity, or modulate our responses, depending on relevant peripheral information that appears after the task has begun. Psychopaths are specifically deficient in this ability, and according to Newman, this explains the impulsivity of psychopaths, a trait which shows up in several of the lists of criteria, as well as their problems with passive avoidance and with processing emotions.

Selfishness

Cleckley spoke of his psychopaths showing a “pathologic egocentricity [and incapacity for love],” which is affirmed in the PPI by its inclusion of egocentricity among its criteria. The PCL also mentions a “parasitic lifestyle.”

Inability to plan for the future

Cleckley said that his psychopaths showed a “failure to follow any life plan.”  According to the PCL, psychopaths have a “lack of realistic long-term goals,” while the PPI describes them as showing a “carefree nonplanness.”

Violence

The criteria for dissocial personality include, a “very low tolerance to frustration and a low threshold for discharge of aggression, including violence.”  The criteria for antisocial personality disorder include, "irritability and aggressiveness, as indicated by repeated physical fights or assaults.”

Questions to Ponder

What steps can we take to “correct” psychopaths and which of these is the most ethical?  If it is true that psychopaths have damaged or abnormal brains, can we hold them responsible for what they do?  Are there degrees of psychopathy, so that normal people may possess psychopathic traits?

OUR NEXT BLOG SESSION:

Why Psychopaths Will Harm You,

and Why They Don't Care

Friends ~ See you back here with your Journal!

Peace, Love & Light,

 René

©Copyright - René Allen - MAY 2017 - All Rights Reserved

Are you depressed?

Mental Health Awareness Month

May 2017

Our topic for this Blog Session is "Depression".  We've talked about it this month during Mental Health Awareness Month, and we'll be discussing it today due to the high number of people who are going through states of depression.

Grab your Journal and your pen, because we have a lot of ground to cover that will be helpful for you, your friends, your family, co-workers, and those in your discussion groups.

The Question is:  Can you or someone you know be depressed without knowing it?

For many people, the answer is "Yes".  Even though most of us know on the surface what depression looks like, it is possible that we miss it.

Many people slip into a state of depression without even realizing it.  With today's high level of technology -- computers, smartphones, tablets, meeting after meeting, family demands, money issues, job stress, health matters, negative news media, and any number of other incidentals -- like accidents, confrontations, and unexpected events, it is no wonder anyone has time for "self care".

Telltale symptoms of depression include:

1)  low self esteem

2)  over critical view of "self"

3)  self-loathing thoughts

4)  negative thinking

5)  bad mood

6)  "touchy feelings"

7)  crying spells

8)  lack of drive

9)  patches of anger

Even the people we're closest to might not realize we're depressed, especially if we're good at covering over our feelings.  Friends, family, associates, co-workers, and those we come in contact with may sense that we're not at our best, but might attribute it to other factors, or they may think it is temporary and it will pass.  They could be wrong.

Given the greater public awareness of depression, how is it possible to not know when it's present?  There are several factors that can play a role:

1.  Depression can look really different from person to person. 

Two people who are both depressed might have zero symptoms in common.  Carl, for example, might feel really low, and have insomnia, be unable to eat more than a few bites at a time, struggle with concentration, and be so miserable that he's considering ending his own life.  Tamera, on the other hand, doesn't feel noticeably down, but has no interest in anything, even activities she used to enjoy.  She's sleeping 12 hours a day, but is still fatigued and physically slowed, and feels completely worthless.  As different as these two examples are, they are both consistent with major depressive disorder.  The severity of depression can vary a lot as well -- from being completely unable to function to still being able to take care of one's responsibilities and even find occasional enjoyment.  We are less likely to see milder forms of depression for what they are.

2. Depression tends to develop gradually.

The development of each symptom of depression can be like hair growing, with no noticeable change day to day or even week to week.  Since we are never not with ourselves, we may not have a good sense of small changes over time as our mood, energy, and view of ourselves takes a dip.  And then one day, we might finally look at ourselves and barely recognize the person we see, as the cumulative changes become obvious.

3.  In a related way, the various symptoms of depression often develop at different times. 

Depression often has an insidious onset — we develop a symptom here, a symptom there.  We might not have as much energy as before, and a few weeks later we notice that we're crankier than usual.  We might not suspect that both experiences are connected to the same underlying condition. If several depression symptoms landed in your life all at once, it would be much more obvious that they were part of a syndrome.

4. There may be an obvious reason for feeling down.

When we're facing major challenges like health problems, a painful divorce, or job loss, we expect to feel poorly.  It would be strange, in fact, if our moods weren't affected to some extent.  Thus we might not call our reaction "depression," because it seems so understandable.  However, these kinds of losses are among the most consistent predictors of depression, as we lose reliable sources of reward, engagement, and support.

5.  There may be no obvious “reason” to be depressed.

On the other hand, our moods can tank without any cause that we can identify.  It could be that we have a genetic predisposition to depression, or that we're sensitive to seasonal shifts.  There could also be identifiable changes in our lives that could account for our low mood, but we don't make the connection.  For example, we may have gotten a better job, which we expect would improve our mood; however, we also left behind a solid group of friends at our old job, and now have a stressful commute in the car whereas before we could take the train.  Without an obvious trigger for our depression, we’re less likely to see it when it comes.

6.  Some symptoms might not seem like depression. 

We often assume that a person who is depressed is really sad, and yet depression doesn't have to include sadness.  Many individuals with depression feel more numb than sad, or may have lost interest in things they used to enjoy without having an obvious shift in their emotional state.  It can also be easy to attribute depression symptoms to other factors, since depression is one of several possible explanations.  For example, we might blame stress for our increased appetite and sleep problems, and think our trouble concentrating is driven by poor sleep.

7. We don’t want to see ourselves as "depressed." 

Despite progress over the past few decades, there is still a lot of stigma around depression.  We may have internalized that stigma, seeing depression as a "weakness" or "personal failure."  As a result, we might not want to recognize our own depression.  Maybe we prided ourselves on our strength and resilience, and depression just doesn’t square with our identity.  We may therefore look for any alternative explanation for the way we're feeling.

Recognizing Depression

How Recognizing Depression Helps

Coming to see our depression for what it is can be tremendously helpful, even life-changing, in at least two ways. 

First, depression can affect all areas of our life, making us feel like everything is falling apart: We're not sleeping well, we're irritable, our motivation is gone, nothing is fun anymore, and so forth.  Putting these many struggles under a single umbrella makes them much more manageable.  Rather than having 15 problems, we have one, and obviously it is much easier to tackle a single problem than 15.

Second, once we've named it, we know how to treat it. Several "talk therapies" have strong research evidence for alleviating depression.  For example, a few weeks of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) generally has a major effect on depression symptoms.  There are also medications that are used to treat depression, some of which can be as effective as the best psychotherapies.

For many people, depression can be managed without professional assistance, especially if the depression falls in the mild to moderate range, and if there's a low risk for self harm.  Many people are able to manage their own depression through a combination of self-help, strong support from the people closest to them, and by getting involved in a triathlon. [A triathlon is an athletic contest consisting of three different events, typically swimming, cycling, and long-distance running.]

If you or a loved one has been struggling and some of your symptoms could reflect depression, it may be a good idea to schedule an appointment with your primary care doctor or a mental health professional.  Psychology Today offers a database where where you can search for a therapist who would be a good match for you. 

However we combat depression, we don’t have to suffer — help is available.  Like anything else in life, knowing what we’re dealing with is half the battle.

THE PERFECT TOOL:  A Journal

Journal your feelings

I can't stress it enough -- Journal your thoughts, feelings, activities, emotions, moods, and the people in your life.

Pay particular attention to what is going on in your life, and what exactly causes your moods to change, emotions to shift, activities to fluctuate, thoughts to change from positive to negative, feelings to go from high to low, and the people in your life to revolve in or out.

Why do certain things happen in your life?

Have you created certain behavior patterns?

Is what you are doing beneficial, progressive and fruitful?

Or is what you are doing negative, destructive and counter-productive?

Where are the places you are going?

Who are the people in your life?

What are the hobbies that you are involved in?

What type of work are you doing? -- Do you like it?

Life can be challenging, sometimes hard, sometimes sad.

But, life can also be rewarding, fun, joyful, interesting, and worth living and worth fighting for -- you choose.

Look for the signs

Friends ~ See you back here with your Journal!

Peace, Love & Light,

 René

©Copyright - René Allen - MAY 2017 - All Rights Reserved

 

Psychosis: A Misunderstood Illness

Mental Health Awareness Month

MAY 2017

Welcome back to the Blog all Readers, Followers & Visitors!

We are in the midst of a heavy duty discussion about mental health.  We've been using our Journals as a way to take notes about what we have been learning here on the Blog, as well as take notes about what is actually going on with each of us personally.

Mental Health is a very important area of our lives.  It is vital that our well being physically, emotionally, spiritually, and mentally be in top shape.  The very reason that we get up each day should be so that we may live our lives to the best of our ability with as little stress and strain as possible.  That sounds really nice right?  Yes, it does!  Is it possible?  Yes, it is!

Let's use our Journals as therapy

Right at this moment, while you are here on the Blog, just take a moment to breathe.  Breathe in then breathe out... inhale, then exhale.  Feel your breath, and notice whether you are tense or not.  If you feel tension anywhere in your body, please take a moment now to notice where the tension is and write it down in your Journal.  Then repeat the breathing process and notice whether the tension in your body is decreasing or not.  If it is not decreasing, stretch both your arms out to your sides, then pull your arms in.  Repeat this process and make a note of how your body feels.  Stretch your arms to your back, and then pull your arms back to your sides -- straight out.  Then do the same with your arms moving them from your sides to the front of your body.  Notice how the muscles in your back respond.  Move your head from left to right, then from front to back.  Repeat two more times.  Now back to breathing ~ Breathe in then breathe out... inhale, then exhale.  Feel your breath, and notice whether you are tense or not.  Make notes in your journal of the areas in your body where you feel tension.  Work on those areas of your body to loosen them up.

Do Arm Stretches

to loosen up

We can work on the arm stretches and leg stretches to loosen up our bodies so that we minimize the stress build up that happens with each of us every day without us being aware of it.  Remember to roll your head around to the left then to the right to loosen up.  Stretch your back by bending your upper body to the right, then to the left...then backwards, then forwards.  Make notes in your Journal daily of how you feel after your breathing exercises and stretches.

Our Journal will open up areas of discovery about ourselves that we had not thought about.  The main thing that we each want to do now is get ready to write about our topic for today.

Take Notes about today's area of mental health . . . 

Psychosis

What is psychosis?

Psychosis is a condition defined by a group of illnesses that disrupt the functioning of the brain to the point where normal functioning in everyday life becomes almost impossible.  Someone experiencing an episode of psychosis is called psychotic.  A psychotic person will lose contact with reality.

Question for you:  Do you know anyone who has lost contact with reality?

What are the symptoms of psychosis?

Delusions:  An idea or belief that someone believes is real but is contrary to reality.  For example; a person experiencing delusions may think that they are an important figure like Jesus Christ – these are called delusions of grandeur.

Hallucinations:  A false sensory perception.  A person experiencing hallucinations may hear, feel, see, taste or smell something that is not there.  Commonly, they will hear an external voice(s) that no one else can hear.

Confused thinking:  Everyday thoughts become confused and sentences may be unclear or hard to understand. Thought can speed up or slow down making following a conversation and remembering things difficult.

Changed feelings:  How you feel can change for no particular reason.  You may feel odd and cut off from the rest of the world.  Mood swings are also common and you may go from massive highs to massive lows.  You may seem to feel less emotion, or show less emotion to those around you.

Changed behaviour:  You may be extremely active or have difficulty getting the energy to do things, laugh when things don’t seem funny, or become angry or upset without any cause.

What are the types of psychotic illnesses?

Schizophrenia:  A complex mental illness with those diagnosed with it experiencing an array of psychotic symptoms.  Contrary to popular belief, a schizophrenic person does not have a ‘split personality’.

Bipolar disorder:  A mental illness categorised by extreme moods being either very high or very low known as mania. These episodes of extreme moods can lead to psychosis.

Drug induced psychosis:  Caused by drugs such as alcohol, marijuana, magic mushrooms, LSD and ecstasy etc. The psychotic episode lasts until the effects of the drugs wear off (hours or days).

Brief reactive psychosis: Psychotic symptoms lasting less than a month and due to a stressful life event.

Psychotic depression: Sometimes depression can become so intense and severe that it results in psychotic symptoms.

What are the causes of psychosis?

Although the exact causes are not yet fully understood, it is likely that psychosis is hereditary.  Environmental factors like drugs and stress, among others, may also play a role in one developing a psychotic illness.

How is it diagnosed?

There’s no specific test for psychosis.  A healthcare professional will determine whether a person is psychotic depending on the symptoms they exude.  Generally, a doctor will perform other tests to rule out another condition.

What treatments are available?

With a psychotic episode early intervention is key and may reduce the length of the psychotic episode.  Treatments usually involve medication, education about the illness, counselling, support from family, friends and community, avoiding drugs and reducing levels of stress.

Key points to remember:

• There is a stigma surrounding mental illness but 1 in 5 people will experience mental illness during their lifetime.

• Psychotic people are often misconstrued as being unpredictable and dangerous but they often only pose a threat to themselves.

• If you know someone that is experiencing a psychotic episode it is important that you offer them as much help as you can so they can get better.

• A psychotic episode can happen to anyone, regardless of age, sex, culture or location.

• A psychotic episode can be very scary and confusing and should be treated with understanding and not criticised or laughed at.

I sure hope you have enjoyed this educational Blog Session about Psychosis.  We'll see you back here for our next exciting Blog Session about mental health, and don't forget to bring your Journal along!

Peace, Love & Light,

 René

©Copyright - René Allen - MAY 2017 - All Rights Reserved

 

Mental Health Awareness Month

May 2014

Our Blog Topic for Today

PSYCHOSIS

Good Evening Blog Readers, Followers & Visitors ~

All month long, we have been focusing on mental health.  We are paying particular attention to the fact that May is Mental Health Awareness Month.  Our mental health is very important, and yet, it is rarely discussed.

How many times have you taken the time to ask your friends and family about their mental health?  If you did take the time to ask the question ~ "How is your mental health?"  Do you think you'd get an honest response?  Do you think that people really know where they stand in terms of their mental health?  Do you think that people look at themselves one way, and that other people on the outside look at them in another way?

While we have covered many topics concerning mental health so far this month, there are so many other areas relative to mental health that are as yet left uncovered here on the Blog.

Our mission tonight is to discuss the topic of Psychosis.  So you'll want to grab your Journal or Notebook and get ready to take notes . . .

With tonight's topic being Psychosis.  You may be wondering, "What is Psychosis?"

Psychosis is a general term to describe a set of symptoms of mental illnesses that result in strange or bizarre thinking, perceptions (sight, sound), behaviors, and emotions. Psychosis is a brain-based condition that is made better or worse by environmental factors - like drug use and stress.

How Common is Psychosis?

One frequently cited statistic is that 1% of the population is diagnosed with Schizophrenia in their lifetime, but actually 3.5% of the population experiences psychosis.  Hearing voices and seeing things that aren’t there are more common than we think.  While these experiences can be scary and confusing, it is possible to recover and getting better, especially when we tackle issues early.

Psychotic Disorders

What are the Different Kinds of Psychotic Disorders?

Conditions that have psychosis as a main symptom are referred to as psychotic disorders.  However, psychosis may also occur as a feature of other disorders like bipolar or major depression.  Some of the more common types of psychotic disorders include:

Schizophrenia:  is a serious mental health disorder that affects how a person thinks, feels, and acts.  People with schizophrenia may have trouble distinguishing what is real and what is imaginary.

Schizophreniform Disorder:  consists of the same symptoms of Schizophrenia but occurs for a time period of at least one month but no more than six months.  If symptoms last longer than this period, a person is given a diagnosis of Schizophrenia.

Schizoaffective Disorder:  is characterized by persistent symptoms of psychosis resembling schizophrenia with additional periodic symptoms of mood (or affective) disorders.  

Delusional Disorder:  is characterized by irrational or intense belief(s) or suspicion(s) which a person believes to be true.  These beliefs may seem outlandish and impossible (bizarre) or fit within the realm of what is possible (non-bizarre).  Symptoms must last for 1 month or longer in order for someone to be diagnosed with delusional disorder.

Brief Psychotic Disorder:  includes symptoms of psychosis that last at least 1 day but no longer than 1 month. Symptoms are typically sudden and are sometimes responses to a stressful life event.  While an individual may experience severe distress during the episode, people quickly return to their daily lives and their symptoms do not return.

Schizotypal Disorder:  is a personality disorder that can easily be confused with schizophrenia due to the nature of people with schizotypal personality disorder to have "magical" or eccentric beliefs, unusual thoughts and paranoia.  People with schizotypal personality disorder may experience brief psychotic episodes with delusions or hallucinations, but the episodes are not as frequent, prolonged or intense as in schizophrenia.

Symptoms of Psychotic Disorders

When trying to figure out if something is going on, it’s important to keep a few things in mind.  A person might experience one symptom, but it’s more concerning when someone experiences more than one symptom.  A change for one or two days might be a related to sleep or stress, but experiencing symptoms for more than a few days or weeks, is worthy of an evaluation by a mental health professional.  If you’re concerned about a loved one, pay attention to sudden changes in their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors.  Changes that seem really out of character might be early warning signs of psychosis.  The following is a list of symptoms of psychosis:

• Hearing or seeing something that isn’t there
• A constant feeling of being watched
• Disorganized or bizarre speech or writing
• Inappropriate or unusual behavior
• Strange body movements or positioning
• Feeling indifferent or numb about important situations
• Deterioration of academic or work performance
• A change in personal hygiene and appearance
• A change in personality
• Increasing withdrawal from social situations
• Irrational, angry or fearful response to loved ones
• Inability to sleep or concentrate
• Extreme preoccupation or fears that seem bizarre
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Hopefully you've been enlightened by tonight's Mental Health Blog Session, and you've taken some good notes.

We'll see you back here for our next exciting Blog Session about mental health, and don't forget to bring your Journal along ~

Peace, Love & Light,

 René

©Copyright - René Allen - MAY 2017 - All Rights Reserved