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
•  
  

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

Time to sit still for a minute . . .

We're talking about Mental Health

Mental Health Awareness Month

May 2017

Good Afternoon Blog Readers, Followers, and Visitors to the Blog ~ In our last Blog Session we discussed Delusional Disorders.  We all come here to the Blog Sessions with our Journals in hand to take notes.  As a recap . . .

Delusional Disorder is one of the category of psychotic disorders.  Not surprisingly, it is marked by the prevalence of delusions.  Delusions may be non-bizarre or bizarre. Delusions in general are persistent, unyielding beliefs that are not true.  These beliefs must persist for more than a month to be considered delusional, and must not be attributable to another disorder such as Schizophrenia, symptoms of which include delusions.

As promised, we are going to continue our discussion about our next mental health issue, which is the disorder of Schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia is a mental disorder that usually appears in late adolescence or early adulthood.  Characterized by delusions, hallucinations, and other cognitive difficulties, schizophrenia can often be a lifelong struggle.

If you were here for our last Blog Session, then you will have notes about the different types of schizophrenia and their characteristics.  We also discussed 13 different behaviors that are early warning signs of schizophrenia.

It is important to note that anyone who experiences several of the 13 symptoms that were listed for more than two weeks should seek help immediately.

For the sake of expanding upon our awareness of schizophrenia, we need to talk a little more about the symptoms . . .

What are the Symptoms of Schizophrenia?

A medical or mental health professional may use the following terms when discussing the symptoms of schizophrenia.

Positive symptoms are disturbances that are “added” to the person’s personality.

Woman undergoing disturbances to her personality

• Delusions –false ideas--individuals may believe that someone is spying on him or her, or that they are someone famous (or a religious figure).
• Hallucinations –seeing, feeling, tasting, hearing or smelling something that doesn’t really exist.  The most common experience is hearing imaginary voices that give commands or comments to the individual.
• Disordered thinking and speech –moving from one topic to another, in a nonsensical fashion.  Individuals may also make up their own words or sounds, rhyme in a way that doesn't make sense, or repeat words and ideas.
• Disorganized behavior –this can range from having problems with routine behaviors like hygiene or choosing appropriate clothing for the weather, to unprovoked outbursts, to impulsive and uninhibited actions.  A person may also have movements that seem anxious, agitated, tense or constant without any apparent reason.

Woman with Schizophrenia

Negative symptoms are capabilities that are “lost” from

the person’s personality.

• • Social withdrawal
  • Extreme apathy (lack of interest or enthusiasm)
  • Lack of drive or initiative
  • Emotional flatness
  
  Man with Schizophrenia
   

How is Schizophrenia Treated?

If you suspect someone you know is experiencing symptoms of schizophrenia, encourage them to see a medical or mental health professional immediately.  Early treatment--even as early as the first episode--can mean a better long-term outcome.

Recovery and Rehabilitation

While no cure for schizophrenia exists, many people with this illness can lead productive and fulfilling lives with the proper treatment.  Recovery is possible through a variety of services, including medication and rehabilitation programs.

Rehabilitation can help a person recover the confidence and skills needed to live a productive and independent life in the community.  Types of services that help a person with schizophrenia include:

• Case management helps people access services, financial assistance, treatment and other resources.
• Psychosocial Rehabilitation Programs are programs that help people regain skills such as: employment, cooking, cleaning, budgeting, shopping, socializing, problem solving, and stress management.
• Self-help groups provide on-going support and information to persons with serious mental illness by individuals who experience mental illness themselves.
• Drop-in centers are places where individuals with mental illness can socialize and/or receive informal support and services on an as-needed basis.
• Housing programs offer a range of support and supervision from 24 hour supervised living to drop-in support as needed.
• Employment programs assist individuals in finding employment and/or gaining the skills necessary to re-enter the workforce.
• Therapy/Counseling includes different forms of “talk”therapy, both individual and group, that can help both the patient and family members to better understand the illness and share their concerns.
• Crisis Services include 24 hour hotlines, after hours counseling, residential placement and in-patient hospitalization.

Coordinated Specialty Care (CSC) has been found to be especially effective in improving outcomes for people after they experience their first episode of psychosis.

We will discuss the next mental health topic in our next Blog Session:  "psychosis" 

Be sure to have your Journals ready to take notes!

The Keys to Discovery

Journaling

Peace, Love & Light,

 René

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

      

Delusional Disorder

Mental Health Awareness Month

May 2017

Good Morning everyone ~  If you were here for our last Blog Session, then you have your Journal in hand, and you have all of your notes from our last discussion about Paranoia and Delusional Disorders.

Before we get into the topics of Schizophrenia and Psychosis, we are going to go over the topic of Delusional Disorder due to the number of requests received for further information.

Delusional Disorder is one of the category of psychotic disorders.  Not surprisingly, it is marked by the prevalence of delusions.  Delusions may be non-bizarre or bizarre. Delusions in general are persistent, unyielding beliefs that are not true.  These beliefs must persist for more than a month to be considered delusional, and must not be attributable to another disorder such as Schizophrenia, symptoms of which include delusions.  Beliefs must also not be attributable to substance use.  Persons with Delusional Disorder may function fairly well in society, hold a job, etc. Treatment includes medication and psychotherapy.

Non-bizarre delusions are false, persisting beliefs that while in some cases may be possible, are not true.  A common example would be that their significant other is cheating. While possible, to meet the criteria, the individual would have investigated, and repeatedly rechecked the possibility, found it to be untrue, yet persist in the belief.  A belief that he/she has a serious health condition that has been definitively ruled out is another common example.

Bizarre delusions are, again not surprisingly, beyond the realm of possibility in the eyes of the vast majority.  One example of a bizarre delusion cited in “Psych Central” is that a stranger has removed all their internal organs, closing the wound without leaving a scar.

Delusions may also be categorized based on the nature of the belief.  Likely the more well-known delusions include those of grandeur, in which the person believes themselves to be of grossly inflated power, notoriety, etc. (royalty, for example) as well as those of persecution in which the person believes that someone or some group is plotting against them.  Other types include somatic delusions, in which he or she would focus on a health issue as described above.  Erotomanic delusions, he/she believes someone of higher social status to be in love with them.  The example above regarding the cheating lover is a jealous type of delusion.  There are also mixed types (combination of types) and unspecified.

Relevance to National Paranormal Society is transparent.  A person who lives with Delusional Disorder truly believes their delusion.  If this belief is that they are being persecuted by a spirit for example, it is extremely difficult to convince this person, despite a lack of evidence, that this is not happening to them.  In one particular case, the client continues to request re-investigation by an Investigator despite having done so numerous times with no findings.

A person may claim that they were abducted by aliens and used for experimentation.  To a growing number of people, this is in the realm of possibility.  In these cases, it may be necessary to gain as much knowledge of the client as possible before drawing any conclusions.

Lets take a look at four types of Delusions . . .

The reason why we are going back over Delusional Disorders is because a person who is delusional (grandeur type) must be diagnosed properly to rule out possible Schizophrenia.

What is Schizophrenia?

Schizophrenia is a mental disorder that usually appears in late adolescence or early adulthood.  Characterized by delusions, hallucinations, and other cognitive difficulties, schizophrenia can often be a lifelong struggle.

(March 24, 2017)

Below are the different types of schizophrenia and their characteristics.

• Paranoid Schizophrenia
• Disorganized Schizophrenia
• Catatonic Schizophrenia
• Residual Schizophrenia
• Schizoaffective Disorder
• Depression Symptoms
• Bipolar Disorder Symptoms
• Undifferentiated Schizophrenia

Behaviors that are early warning signs of schizophrenia include:

• Hearing or seeing something that isn’t there
• A constant feeling of being watched
• Peculiar or nonsensical way of speaking or writing
• Strange body positioning
• Feeling indifferent to very 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
• Inappropriate or bizarre behavior
• Extreme preoccupation with religion or the occult

PLEASE NOTE:  Anyone who experiences several of these symptoms for more than two weeks should seek help immediately.

Please make sure that you have your Journal out to take notes on all of the above mental health concerns, including both Delusional Disorders and Schizophrenia.

~ Be sure to take Notes ~

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NEXT BLOG SESSION:

More on Schizophrenia

Discussion 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