Psychosis, a symptom of mental illness meaning a loss of contact with reality, is a serious mental health issue. Both stress and traumatic events can contribute to psychotic disorders, as can some recreational and prescription medications.
If you are suffering from psychosis, you may have auditory or visual hallucinations, may hold to fixed false beliefs called delusions, or may experience thought disorders, where you have trouble connecting your thoughts to activities. Psychosis can be caused by:
- Schizophrenia
- Schizoaffective Disorder
- Delusional Disorder
- Brief Psychotic Disorder
- Schizophreniform
- mood disorders
Some medical conditions (Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, stroke and others) can also cause psychosis.
Because psychosis can develop so many different ways, treatment depends on proper diagnosis. We start treatment with a thorough medical work-up to determine the root cause. Medication is essential to the treatment of psychosis. Therapy, especially cognitive behavioral therapy and supportive therapy, and in some cases family therapy, are effective in managing symptoms.