Can You Recover From Psychosis?

Psychosis is a mental disorder characterized by delusions and/or hallucinations. People who suffer from psychosis often believe they are being followed or controlled by someone else.

They can also experience paranoia and hear voices.

If untreated, psychosis can cause homelessness, unemployment, and even suicide. People suffering from psychosis may recover completely after treatment.

However, it can take months or years before recovery begins. In some cases, psychosis can last a lifetime.

What Causes Psychosis?

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Psychosis happens when an imbalance of chemicals called neurotransmitters disrupts how signals travel through your brain. Usually, these neurotransmitters help control mood and behavior.

When there’s too much serotonin or dopamine, for example, you might feel overly happy or euphoric. Conversely, too little serotonin makes you anxious and overwhelmed.

The most common form of psychosis is schizophrenia, which causes unusual beliefs and distorted perceptions. Other types include bipolar disorder and major depression with psychotic features.

Who Gets Psychosis?

People of all races, ethnicities, genders, and backgrounds get psychosis – but certain groups have higher rates than others. Experts don’t know why this is.

But people who’ve got relatives with psychosis are more likely to develop the condition themselves.

That way, if you’re unlucky enough to inherit a gene that increases the risk for psychosis, you could be more likely to develop the illness.

This means you should talk to your doctor about whether your family history puts you at risk for psychosis.

What Are Symptoms Of Psychosis?

Symptoms of psychosis vary depending on what type of psychosis you have. For example:

Someone with paranoid schizophrenia might think he’s being spied upon. His thoughts might feel like they come out of nowhere and are not his own. He might hear loud noises, see things that aren’t really there, and smell smells that aren’t real.
A person with auditory hallucinations (hearing voices) might hear the voice say something insulting to him or make threatening statements.
People with persecutory delusions (believing that other people are following them and trying to harm them) might feel convinced that they’re being watched, followed, or monitored.
If you already have psychosis, you’ll probably notice one or more of these signs: Feeling strange emotions, like feeling angry or fearful without knowing why – Seeing things that aren’t really happening – Hearing sounds that seem unreal or scary – Having trouble thinking clearly – Not understanding why you do things or failing to understand basic instructions.

You might hear voices, see visions, or have other experiences that seem impossible or frightening. These feelings and behaviors are part of recovery. Talk with your health care provider about any concerns you have.

How Is Recovery Possible?

After getting treatment, your symptoms will go away gradually. For most people with psychosis, recovery takes place over several weeks or months.

Most doctors agree that the best ways to treat psychosis include medication, psychosocial treatments, and cognitive-behavioral therapies.

Medication. Psychotropic medications such as antipsychotics and antidepressants can help with psychosis. However, they also affect many different systems in the body, including hormones, sleep, blood pressure, appetite, and energy levels.

As a result, some people need a combination of medicines, while others benefit only from one kind.

Psychosocial Treatments. Therapy helps you learn new skills to deal with your symptoms and supports you when you struggle with them.

For example, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), which teaches you coping strategies to help you live with psychosis, has been shown to reduce psychotic episodes.

Other types of CBT may teach you how to cope with specific problems such as depression, anxiety, or anger.

Mindfulness. Based stress reduction focuses on reducing stress by becoming aware of it and learning to relax through meditation. Supportive group programs help you share your experience with others who have had similar experiences.

Family counseling helps families cope with their loved ones’ illnesses. Peer support groups offer friendship and mutual encouragement.

Psychotic Disorders. There are six main types of psychosis, each named after its primary symptom: Schizophrenia, Delusional Disorder, Brief Psychotic Disorder, Bipolar Disorder with Psychotic Features, Major Depressive Disorder with Psychotic Symptoms, and Substance-Induced Psychotic Disorder.

Each type is caused by an illness called a disorder. For example, disordered thinking affects an individual’s function at work, school, home, or socially. This problem usually lasts for years before becoming severe enough to diagnose psychosis.

What Happens During Treatment?

A doctor diagnoses someone as having psychosis if she believes that the person has experienced one of the above-listed disorders. The first step involves taking a history of what happened during the past week.

Next comes a physical exam and screening tests to check blood sugar, kidney functions, liver functioning, thyroid activity, and general blood counts.

If the results show no severe abnormalities, the doctor orders further testing, including brain scans, blood tests, and electrocardiograms. Tests often look for signs of infection or inflammation in the brain.

Sometimes the doctor needs to perform minor surgery to remove fluid around the brain. The doctor then starts treating the patient with medicine.

Symptoms Will Go Away Gradually

Your mental health care team will try to find the right balance between giving you the right amount of medicine and helping you avoid long-term side effects.

For example, some medicines make it harder to feel pleasure and enjoy life. Others make you more likely to gain weight or develop diabetes.

Your doctor will discuss all these things with you and explain why he chooses specific treatments.

He will let you know whether the treatment is working well enough so far and give you time to ask any questions you might have about this process.

Then, the doctor will gradually wean you off the medication over weeks, months, or even years. You may need to come back to see him several times to monitor how well you’re doing.

How Long Does It Take To Get Better?

The length of time it takes to get better depends on your personal situation. Most people improve within two to three months of starting treatment, although sometimes it takes longer.

Even though you’ll probably continue to take pills, talk to your doctors about alternative ways of managing your condition.

Many kinds of medication don’t require a prescription – herbs, vitamins, nutritional supplements, electric devices, and exercise.

Some people use complementary and alternative medicine techniques with their regular medical treatment.

In addition, there are nonmedical therapies, such as cognitive behavior therapy, that can help reduce feelings of distress and improve your overall quality of life.

You May Be Able To Work Again

With proper treatment, most people begin feeling better within just a few days or weeks. After that, they return to normal activities, such as going to school or returning to work.

But remember that some symptoms do not go away completely.

For example, when you start talking again, you may notice that you sound different from before you became ill. And you may still worry about hearing voices.

You may also have nightmares about being attacked by monsters or other frightening situations. These fears tend to subside after a while, but they usually don’t disappear entirely.

If You Have A Recurring Episode Of Hearing Voices, See Your Doctor

Some people experience an episode of hearing voices every now and then without having schizophrenia. But if you already had schizophrenia when you started having episodes, they become much worse.

This means that you should tell your doctor if you think you are experiencing hallucinations. The doctor will be able to diagnose you quickly.

But even if you don’t have a diagnosis yet, your doctor will want to figure out where your problem lies.

Can I Live Without Treatment?

Deciding not to take medication is never easy. Usually, you decide against treatment because you fear what your illness will do to you or those around you. Or perhaps you believe that medication doesn’t work.

But, remember, your doctor has seen thousands of patients like yourself who chose not to take medications. He knows how helpful they can be.

And if you decide not to accept them, the chances are good that your family members will suffer too. So don’t put them through that.

Is Medication Dangerous?

Taking medicine is often safer than driving a car, playing sports, or using many household products. However, some people’s bodies react differently to medication.

Therefore, before deciding to stop taking your medicine, be sure that you’ve stopped eating anything containing caffeine or alcohol for at least 12 hours.

Also, it’s important to tell your doctor any changes in your diet or lifestyle so they can monitor you closely.

Does My Family Know About My Condition?

Your family members may feel uncomfortable knowing about your mental health problems. They may wonder why you’re suddenly acting strange. Or they may try to hide the fact that something is wrong.

If you need to keep this secret from them, you can tell your doctor instead. They might be able to arrange a way for you to meet with your family privately, for instance, by placing someone else to come to the office with you.

Final Thoughts

Psychosis is a scary illness. However, recovery is often possible. We hope you found the answers you were looking for in this article and feel at peace.