What Are the Symptoms of Psychosis?
Psychosis is a term often thrown around on TV and in print that generates a lot of attention. Fictional detectives on a television show might be trying to figure out the next move of a killer suffering from some strange psychosis; a popular teen magazine could have a test in it to see if a person’s boyfriend is too crazy to date because he has symptoms of psychosis. In the modern psychiatric community, however, the term psychosis no longer has much importance. This is because the word psychosis is no longer considered by many to be a clinical term, and has been replaced by other, more useful, words.
When people refer to the symptoms of psychosis, they are usually referring to the signs and symptoms of a psychotic disorder. Numerous psychotic disorders share symptoms, simply called psychotic symptoms. Though psychotic symptoms may initially appear the same, they can have very different causes.
What, exactly, are these symptoms of psychosis, which we can now correctly refer to as psychotic symptoms? Someone who is psychotic may be experiencing hallucinations, sensory experiences that only exist in the mind. The person may be under very specific delusions, false beliefs brought on by mental or physical illnesses. The speech patterns and behavior of someone suffering from a psychotic disorder can be disorganized. Disorganized speech and behavior can be signs of distorted thought processes. The person may even be exhibiting catatonia, which is a stupor that can also manifest with extreme muscle rigidity or flexibility.
The exact psychotic disorder a person has is usually determined by a medical professional using a book called the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). The DSM is published by the American Psychiatric Association (APA), and is the standard text consulted by Western psychiatrists and psychologists. The current version of the DSM contains diagnostic criteria for most widely accepted mental disorders, including those considered to be psychotic disorders.
The symptoms of psychosis should only be interpreted by trained medical professionals. These medical professionals include medical doctors, psychiatrists, and psychologists. If you suspect that someone may be psychotic, you should contact help immediately – attempting to treat them yourself can be dangerous, and may even be illegal.
Written by Brad Cole
