Williamson D. Turner 12/8/14

English 1010 Mr.

Shade

Various Forms Psychosis

Psychosis is a medical condition that has been studied for centuries in the

medicinal community. There are several definitions of psychosis; however, none of the

definitions have been universally accepted in the medical field. The most general

definition of psychosis is as follows: a mental state in which the subject has an impaired

sense of reality. The most distinctive symptoms of psychosis are hallucinations and

delusions. Hallucinations are defined as when a subject perceives sensory stimuli that

doesn’t manifest from any external source. They fall under any of the senses and have

been reported as voices, visions, smells, and complicated tactile projections. Delusions on

the other hand, are classified as false beliefs that the subject is adamantly attached to.

These beliefs can be based on plausible realities or on a more fantastical basis. Psychosis

can be a result of a number of factors; though, every case has it’s own unique

circumstances. It can be a result of various types of illnesses like Parkinson’s disease,

dementia, STD’s, epilepsy, and stroke all of which can directly affect brain function.

Other things that can cause contribute to the condition are environmental risk factors such

as, an abusive lifestyle, traumatic events, or a problem with drug use both legal and

illegal. While psychosis does have specific descriptions, there are several types of the

condition that fall under the umbrella of the term (.

Psychosis is classified into three separate categories of effect: brief reactive

psychosis, drug or alcohol-related psychosis, and organic psychosis. Brief reactive

psychosis is characterized as a cognitive response to extreme personal stress. These bouts

of psychosis are usually caused by traumatic events like family deaths, car accidents, or

the witnessing frightening situations. The subject begins to exhibit signs of psychosis

soon after the inciting incident, will usually recover in a matter of days. Drug and

alcohol-related psychosis is caused by the abuse of these substances. Subjects who use

these substances sometimes exhibit symptoms of psychosis while under the influence. In

the case of addiction, subjects may also exhibit signs of psychosis whenever they have

been deprived of substance and have entered a state of withdrawal. The symptoms can be

permanent or temporary but tends to differ on a case-by-case basis. Organic psychosis is

described as being caused by an illness or head injuries. Illnesses that directly affect the

brain such as, Parkinson’s disease, dementia, HIV, syphilis, can damage the brain and

subsequently cause psychosis. Similarly, both major and minor head injuries can cause

serious damage to the brain and cause psychotic symptoms as a result. The previously

discussed categories are separated by the triggers of psychotic symptoms; but each

category has its own set of related psychotic disorders (Carey).

Bipolar disorder-also known as manic-depressive disorder- is characterized by

discernable mood swings in a subject. These mood swings usually include both

depression and mania. Depression is associated with extreme sadness and hopelessness.

Subjects of depression are often debilitated by the intensity of their emotions, which

sometimes results in self-destructive actions. Mania is associated with feelings of extreme

happiness or nostalgia. Subjects of mania often find themselves doing things that they

normally would not. Many cases have sent subjects on huge shopping sprees that end up

causing exorbitant amounts of debt in the process. In subjects with the disorder, shifts

between these two extremes can occur without warning several times over the course of a

year, a month, or even a day. While the premise of the disorder remains the same, there

are several subtypes associated with it. The bipolar I variant, has a tendency to put strain

on both working and personal relationships, and usually results in very dangerous bouts

of mania. The bipolar II variant, is significantly less severe than bipolar I disorder. There

are slight mood changes; but they usually do not affect a subject’s daily routine. Periods

of mania are less pronounced than in bipolar I and do not last as long (hypomania).

Depression lasts longer in bipolar II than it does in bipolar I and tends to be more severe.

The cyclothymic variant is the mildest of the three forms of bipolar disorder. In

cyclothymic disorder, hypomania and depression both have the capacity to be a problem

but are not as severe as bipolar I and II. Symptoms of bipolar disorder are drastically

different from case to case; but on average, depression is the most problematic issue for

the majority of subjects. However, sometimes, paranoia can manifest into a complication

of the disorder (MayoClinic).

Delusional disorder is characterized by the extended presence of delusions both

bizarre and non-bizarre in a subject. The non-bizarre delusions tend to be related to things

in the subject’s everyday life. For example, some subjects of delusion disorder believe

that their significant other is adulterating or that someone is out to get them. These things

are possible; but in cases of the disorder, the subject, often has proof that these things are

untrue but continue to believe them anyway. The bizarre delusions tend to be based on

situations that are extremely unlikely to happen in everyday life such as, a person

believing that their organs have been stolen and replaced. For a subject to be considered

delusional, the delusions must last for more than one month, as isolated delusions are

quite common among the general populous. Additionally, the subject must also not have

been using/abusing drugs or alcohol. States of delusional disorder are classified by the

theme of the subject’s delusions. The erotomanic type specifies that another person is in

love with the delusional subject. The grandiose type is characterized by delusions of

elevated knowledge, status, or power. The jealous type is geared fear that the subject’s

spouse is unfaithful. The persecutory type includes delusions that the subject-or someone

that is close to them- is being persecuted. The somatic type involves a belief that the

subject has a physical ailment that isn’t present. Mixed type is characterized by a

combination of two or more of the preceding (PyschCentral).

Schizophrenia is arguably the most well known form of psychosis to the general

public and is widely considered to be the most severe of the various types of psychosis. It

is a brain disorder that creates distortion in a subject’s thought processes. As a result, a

subject’s behavior can become erratic as their emotions, actions, perception of reality,

and relationships become affected by the disorder. Schizophrenia is not a split personality

disorder as many people have been led to believe. Instead, the subject has an extremely

difficult time telling what is real and what isn’t which sometimes results in psychotic

episodes that resemble a split personality. Like most other forms of psychosis, the

severity of the disorder is extremely variable from person to person. In some cases, the

psychotic episodes are isolated and the subject can lead a normal life between incidents.

Other cases are debilitating to a subject’s health as the condition may worsen over time

and affect daily function. In either case, the condition last a lifetime with no regard to the

degree of severity because schizophrenia currently does not have a cure. Subjects who

develop the condition are forced to cope with it for the rest of their lives. Similar to most

forms of psychosis, schizophrenia is also classified into several subtypes with differing

symptoms and degrees of severity. Paranoid schizophrenia is usually accompanied by

delusions similar those of the persecutory type of delusional disorder. The subjects

believe that something or someone is trying to cause them harm. Other than that, subjects

with this variant are fairly normal in their thoughts and emotions. Disorganized

schizophrenia usually causes a subject to become largely incoherent and impairs their

ability to learn or function socially. Their demeanor often becomes difficult to discern as

their mental state becomes less and less stable. Catatonic schizophrenia causes a subject

to become almost completely desensitized to the world outside world. They often become

completely immobilized for long periods of time, as the brain does not register any

reason for moving due to deep feeling of futility. Undifferentiated schizophrenia is

characterized by a showing of schizophrenic symptoms that do not directly point to any

of the preceding variants. Subjects often experience symptoms of all three subtypes.

Residual schizophrenia is the term used for when subjects have begun to show a decrease

in the severity of their symptoms. Many of them are still present; but the intensity has

diminished (WebMD).

Treatments for the various forms of psychosis range from behavioral therapy, to

psychoactive drugs and other medication, and sometimes even tranquilizing agents

become necessary if a subject gets out of hand though it is usually a last results. Most

commonly however, doctors will use a combination of psychotherapy and psychoactive

drugs to rehabilitate subjects of psychosis. Usually, the subjects will recover or improve

as a result the tailored treatment. While the use of therapy and drugs will allow many

subjects to recover, each case is different and the subjects may not always respond to the

prescribed treatment as the medicinal community still does not fully understand how

psychosis works in it entirety (Carey).

Works Cited

"Bipolar Disorder." Mayo Clinic. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research,

1998-2014. Web. 8 Dec. 2014.

Carey, Elea. "Psychosis." Healthline. Healthline Networks Incorporated, 2005-2014.

Web. 8 Dec. 2014.

"Delusional Disorder Symptoms." Psych Central.com. Psych Central, 1995-2014. Web. 8

Dec. 2014.

"Mental Health and Schizophrenia." WebMD. WebMD, 2005-2014. Web. 8 Dec. 2014.

Nova Science Publishers, Inc.. Psychosis : Causes, Diagnosis and Treatment. New York,

NY, USA: Nova Science Publishers, Inc., 2012. ProQuest ebrary. Web. 11

December 2014.