[louise88]

21/F

At the start of 2017 I suffered a drug-induced psychosis in Australia where flew back to the UK where I was sectioned and hospitalised for two months and put onto 20mg of olanzapine, prior to my psychosis I wouldn't sleep at night and just a few hour naps during the day I was also suffering from an ED.

I was discharged from hospital in April and saw two mental health nurses from an early intervention psychosis team (EIP) each week until September. After my psychosis the only changed I noticed within myself was that I had become really shy and lost my 'spark'. All of my friends, colleagues, my bosses from different employments and managers had said I'd changed since they last saw me and that I was a lot more reserved and quiet.

After being discharged from EIP in September I flew back to Australia in October, this is where I found I had changed quite a lot. Before my psychosis I enjoyed going out to bars and socialising, when I went back to Australia I always accepted the invite of going out, however I would only stay out for 15 minutes before wanting to leave and be on my own. My attitude at work had changed, I have always worked my hardest and been highly motivated in whatever job I do, however upon my return to work in Australia I hated being there and didn't put any effort into my work.

Returning to Australia I found I was becoming paranoid (being adamant that my colleagues thought I was stealing tips/ when I returned to work after the christmas break everybody said 'how great it was to see me' and I felt as if they were all mocking me etc. Finally, I realised I became a lot more wound up over little things. (I should note the only drug I consumed in Australia the second time was weed on two separate occasions)

I came back from Australia this month and met with EIP who suggested maybe medication (not anti-psychotic) and that I make note of any changes I experience returning to the UK. Besides becoming more irritable/moody and extremely wary of strangers, one of the most notable change for me is having nightmares at least 4/5 times a week, all surrounding the same thing (sexual abuse/being attacked my homeless people).
I should also mention that I believe the nightmares are caused by events that had previously happened. For example, on my way to the airport in Australia when I was coming home this month, I had a homeless woman chase after me and attempted grabbing and shouting/spitting in my face, I managed to get away but had left my bank card in the ATM so when I saw she had gone I went back to the ATM, however she came back and started chasing and shouting at me again.
Prior to going to Australia the first time (and prior to my psychosis) I suffered sexual abuse where I gave up alcohol and stopped going out with friends at the weekend, I kind of pushed it to the back of my mind and being in Australia was a great distraction. However, when I had my psychosis my hallucinations was all around being raped.

I'm wondering if I'm suffering from a psychosis relapse or this could be something more??? At first I thought I was having early warning signs of another psychosis, but I've only been having this nightmares since returning to the UK from Australia which I believe isn't a sign of psychosis.

[Shadow wings]

I'm not a doctor but the nightmares sound more like a trauma response than psychosis to me. It's perhaps an idea to see about some counselling or other talk therapy. Your mood symptoms and social withdrawal could just be because psychosis is a scary thing and then spending time in hospital can shake you up a bit. Make you feel a bit timid, down etc.

If I were you I would consider reaching out to a GP or find counselling of some kind in your area

[Sometimes psychotic]

A lot of changes do happen after psychosis...it’s almost like ptsd....talk to your doctor though to make sure you’re ok

[Rincad]

Welocome to PC!

Like what sometimes and shadow said this does sound like there is some PTSD or trauma response going on, but we can’t be sure. Psychosis relapses take less than a month to happen. You should check in with your mental health professional. They are the ones who can help you. You could be having a psychosis relapse. You might be goin though social anxiety, depression, bipolar symptoms. We can’t be sure. Psychosis causes lots of changes after you experienced it. Like I’m no longer as functional as was before my psychosis, I won’t do things else someone tells me too. Being withdrawn more is a normal response to a lot of things. It could be a defense mechanism. I do suggest you talk to your treatment team more. They are the ones that can help you.

[Erti]

It's also possible to have PTSD w/ Psychosis.

It can take a long time - like months to years - to recover from a psychotic episode. A psychotic episode can be a very traumatic experience in itself. But these changes could also be related to the changes/stress of moving back from Australia recently, and/or be related to your previous experiences of sexual assault.

I would second what EIP said about keeping a note about what's going on. Are they going to keep seeing you now that you're back? Could they get you a therapist to talk to about your sexual assault and psychosis etc as that might help you work through what you've experienced, and also learn new ways to cope with your experiences?

All the best

*Willow*

[dlantern]

Good question. can anyone get me back to my psychosis self ....I've forgetten what it is maybe a catch all phrase for later clarity. I'd like to be fair though can you actually replase is a good question. What are the signs ? What are the symptoms I have DID dx now, mentioning clarity is there anyone that knows about this for us

My psychosis was so bad that it triggered PTSD, it took me almost a year after psychosis to return to normal.