[EliApple]

Hi everyone,

I had a quick question on becoming psychotic and using your imagination.

I think a lot about what it is like to be other people, and more specifically, lately, I've been trying to imagine what it's like to be psychotic and have some of the irrational beliefs psychotic people believe.

The other day, I was thinking about what it was like to become Narcissistic, and I actually started to feel like I believed like I was better than other people, and felt like it could become permanent.

The thing is, I'm afraid of actually becoming psychotic over time... (I have an anxiety disorder and OCD, so I don't want it to make it seem silly that I'm asking this or anything. I'd just like a basic understanding of the possibility of this occurring, I guess.)

Over the past couple months, I've also been diligent about making deliberate observations and a sketch of my basic thought patterns, and I feel like at this point I have a pretty good understanding, but I almost feel like it is something that is dangerous to have that level of an awareness and understanding of for my own personal existence.

Anyways, the point is, I've been manipulating my thoughts to reflect the thought patterns of people that seem to be more effective at getting through the day. Consequently, these thoughts are not natural to me and I feel like I've been becoming more and more psychotic ever since.

So, basically, I guess my question is, could someone potentially develop psychosis based on experimenting with their thought patterns and trying to imagine what it would be like to be a psychotic person?

Your question makes me think of actors taking on roles like that. I think in a way they do become a little psychotic, at least as close as they can to it. But I also think there is an off switch that is there without the need for medication.

[EliApple]

Originally Posted by mrsjoggers

Your question makes me think of actors taking on roles like that. I think in a way they do become a little psychotic, at least as close as they can to it. But I also think there is an off switch that is there without the need for medication.

Thanks for the input!

Yeah, the case with Heath Ledger (he played the Joker in Batman and decided to kill himself a couple months later...) is actually what made me decide to take this seriously... I figured it could be possible and so I'd just like to be safe, because this is definitely not something I'd want to be messing with. I guess I'm afraid that there's a chance that one day there will be no off switch. (hopefully that makes sense. )

[justmeandmyhead]

I think the fear of becoming psychotic is common among people with ocd, I've heard of it a lot. And no I don't think you can become psychotic just because you think you will. It's not just a case of imagination otherwise every writer out there would be psychotic. It's a chemical imbalance in the brain.