[MrsLovett]

Hello!

I have in the past, been diagnosed with Psychosis, and am currently on meds for it. However, I'm not quite sure what psychosis means. I mean, I'm sure people have told me several times what it means, but unless I see it written down on paper or something, it just doesn't stick in my head. It was kinda in relation to my Eating Disorder (which is, right now, NOS, but usually runs on the anorexia nervosa side).

Also, can you tell me the typical symptoms of Schizophrenia? I just took the "sanity score" and did extremely poorly. 225 on my second try. It was one of my "major problems" and I wondered if I actually had any symptoms of it. Thank you!!!!!!!

mrslovett

[iamtwilight]

Psychosis in general means you're not more or less in touch with reality.

The symptoms of schizophrenia depend on the type of schizophrenia, but commonly people think auditory/visual hallucinations, weird thoughts (like somebody is controlling your thoughts or putting thoughts in your head) and maybe even your academic skills might become poorer as the hallucinations etc are taking your energy.

This is what people commonly think.. Psychosis manifests itself in many forms. I had the symptoms I described and thought I wasn't psychotic. It's hard to tell sometimes, because you can't shut the hallucinations out, so they become reality.

Apologies for the scattered thoughts. Just my two cents. Hope it was of at least some help.

Katie

PS. If you go to Wikipedia (http://www.en.wikipedia.org) and type schizophrenia in the search box you will get a good article on schizophrenia, it also includes a list of the symptoms.

[spiritual_emergency]

<blockquote>
MrsLovett: I have in the past, been diagnosed with Psychosis, and am currently on meds for it. However, I'm not quite sure what psychosis means. I mean, I'm sure people have told me several times what it means, but unless I see it written down on paper or something, it just doesn't stick in my head. It was kinda in relation to my Eating Disorder (which is, right now, NOS, but usually runs on the anorexia nervosa side).

Wikipedia also has a reasonably good introduction to psychosis...

</font><blockquote><div id="quote"><font class="small">Quote:</font>

Psychosis is a generic psychiatric term for a mental state often described as involving a "loss of contact with reality." People suffering from it are said to be psychotic.

People experiencing psychosis may report hallucinations or delusional beliefs, and may exhibit personality changes and disorganized thinking. This may be accompanied by unusual or bizarre behaviour, as well as difficulty with social interaction and impairment in carrying out the activities of daily living.

A wide variety of nervous system stressors, both organic and functional, can cause a psychotic reaction. This has led to the belief that psychosis is the 'fever' of mental illness—a serious but nonspecific indicator.

However, most people have unusual and reality-distorting experiences at some point in their lives, without being impaired or even distressed by these experiences. For example, many people have experienced visions of some kind, and some have even found inspiration or religious revelation in them. As a result, it has been argued that psychosis is not fundamentally separate from normal consciousness, but rather, is on a continuum with normal consciousness. In this view, people who are clinically found to be psychotic, may simply be having particularly intense or distressing experiences (see schizotypy).

In contemporary culture, the term "psychotic" is often used incorrectly to refer to psychopathy

...

According to the DSM-IV-TR, the term psychosis has had many definitions in the past, both broad and narrow. The broadest was not being able to meet the demands of everyday life. The narrowest was delusions or hallucinations without insight. A middle ground may be delusions, hallucinations with or with out insight, as well as disorganized behavior or speech. Thus, psychosis can be a symptom of mental illness, but it is not a mental illness in its own right. For example, people with schizophrenia often experience psychosis, but so can people with bipolar disorder (manic depression), unipolar depression, delirium, or drug withdrawal. People diagnosed with these conditions can also have long periods without psychosis. Conversely, psychosis can occur in people who do not have chronic mental illness (e.g. due to an adverse drug reaction or extreme stress).

Source: Wikipedia - Psychosis


</div></font></blockquote><font class="post">

Essentially, psychosis should be understood to be a symptom that something else is going on. The "something else" may be a drug reaction, it could be a response to stress or trauma, it might be caused by an infection or disease. The cause can help determine the most effective path of treatment. For example, if psychosis has been caused by drug use (this can include both street drugs or prescription drugs), withdrawal of the drug will often bring the episode to a close. If psychosis is caused by a brain tumor, the appropriate treatment would be to treat the tumor. If it's been caused by stress or trauma, the most effective treatment might be rest and talk therapy.

You may find it helpful to read the full article as well as the schizophrenia article that Katie_Kaboom recommended.

I would also suggest that you ask your doctor to explain what behaviors of yours were considered to fall into the category of psychosis and why he/she feels that the specific meds you have been given will be helpful for you. To help you retain the information I suggest you take notes during the discussion or record the conversation. Alternatively, you may have a trusted family member or friend who could come with you during your doctor's visit -- the details you forget, they may remember.