Shared psychotic disorder has also been referred to by other names such as psychosis of association, contagious insanity, infectious insanity, double insanity, and communicated insanity. This disorder usually occurs only in long-term relationships in which one person is dominant and the other is passive. In most cases, the person in whom the delusions are induced is dependent on or submissive to the person with the psychotic disorder. The people involved often are reclusive or otherwise isolated from society and have close emotional links with each other. The disorder also can occur in groups of individuals who are closely involved with a person who has a psychotic disorder. The disturbance is not better accounted for by another Psychotic Disorder (e.g., Schizophrenia) or a Mood Disorder With Psychotic Features and is not due to the direct physiological effects of a substance (e.g., a drug of abuse, a medication) or a general medical condition. The dominating primary case is most commonly represented by persons with schizophrenia, delusions, or mood disorders. In Western countries, both the original delusions in the dominant person and the induced delusions in the submissive person are usually chronic and either persecutory or grandiose in nature. In Japan, acute psychotic reactions have been noted to be delusions of a religious nature.
Causes of Shared Psychotic Disorder
Common Causes and Risk factors of Shared Psychotic Disorder
Social Isolation.
Stress.
Signs and Symptoms of Shared Psychotic Disorder
Sign and Symptoms of Shared Psychotic Disorder
Delusions.
Hallucinations.
Disorganized speech.
Grossly disorganized or catatonic behavior.
Treatment of Shared Psychotic Disorder
Common Treatment of Shared Psychotic Disorder
Atypical newer neuroleptics are the accepted mode of treatment for the spectrum of these disorders.
Newer-generation anticonvulsants are also highly effective for shared psychotic disorder.
Olanzapine/fluoxetine (Symbyax), aripiprazole (Abilify), and quetiapine (Seroquel) are extremely effective in these cases.
Antipsychotic medications also useful for Shared Psychotic Disorder
psychotherapy treating Shared Psychotic Disorder
Family therapy should also be considered to re-establish the nuclear family and to provide social support to modify old family dynamics.
Do not use illegal drugs or drink alcohol, especially when you are taking medicine for this condition.
What is PCP, exactly? While developed during the 50′s to be used as anesthesia, phencyclidine, or PCP, has never made it to the market for human use. Due to the erratic side effects, it was deemed illegal. Now going by such street names as angel dust, rocket fuel, and wack, PCP is sold as an illicit substance, and a very dangerous one at that.
Effects of PCP
People who use PCP experience different sensations. Most commonly, users experience a disassociation of time and space from where and when they are at the current moment. While high on PCP, a person may feel weightless, euphoric or even experience hallucinations. Many times, abusers of this drug suddenly feel paranoid due to disturbing hallucinations.
While people use PCP to get high, they often do not expect the severe side effects that can come along with it. For instance, a bad reaction to angel dust could include seizures, violent aggressiveness and even death.
PCP Abuse
PCP can be used in many ways, including swallowing the drug in pill or capsule form, or drinking a liquid. The PCP drug can also be taken through injection or by snorting it in powder form. PCP is also combined with other drugs to create even more dangerous substances, one of which is called “killer weed” which is a marijuana joint laced with PCP. The process of adding PCP to another drug is called “dusting.”
Signs of PCP Abuse
While many of the effects of PCP are only noticeable to the user of the illicit substance, there are many indications that can make someone high on PCP fairly obvious, such as slurred speech, involuntary movement of the eyes, dizziness, amnesia and many of the symptoms of schizophrenia. In fact, some people who experience adverse reactions to PCP can become psychotic to the point where their symptoms are identical to those of schizophrenia.
How to Test For PCP Abuse
Drug testing can be used to detect the abuse of PCP. While many people are opposed to drug testing because they feel it imposes upon individual rights, the fact of the matter is that drug abuse causes major problems in American society. Whether it be in the workplace or on the home front, PCP drug abuse can wreck lives, destroy companies and even kill. To prevent these atrocities from happening, PCP drug tests can be used to answer your questions about “are they or aren’t they?” and take the first step in the right direction toward rehabilitation. Employers especially need to consider PCP drug testing. Drug use in the workplace creates an unsafe environment for both employer and employee. Accidents are more likely to happen, more sick days are taken and the costs to the company are innumerable. By creating a drug testing program to detect illicit substances such as PCP, the workplace can be a much safer place, and will live up to its full potential.
PCP use is cause for concern the family as well. If you suspect drug abuse in your home, especially that of angel dust, purchasing a drug testing kit may be the best option for you. That lingering suspicion of whether or not your child is using can be troublesome. Testing your teen for PCP now, can help ease your worries and set them on the right track for life-one without the interference of drugs.
The clinical word “psychotic” is often used to refer to person who has gone mad or insane. The psychotic state is characterized by a disturbance of perception or sensing things that are not really there (hallucinations); and disturbance of thinking or having beliefs that are not based on reality (delusions). Psychotic individuals also have problems in thinking clearly (disordered thinking), and have reduced ability to recognize if something is wrong with their thoughts and actions (lack of insight).
Psychosis is a condition in which a person has lost touch with reality which leads to an impairment of judgment. In the language of psychology, psychosis is considered more as a syndrome rather than an illness since the diagnosis is based on the observation of a set of symptoms and not on the identification of the cause of the psychological problem.
According to the Institute of Mental Health, a person may exhibit some unusual behavior during pre-psychotic phase which may include:
· Perceptual disturbances such as feelings that things around have changed; · Mood disturbances such as anxiety, depression, mood swings, irritability and anger; · Cognitive disturbances such as poor attention and concentration, difficulties in thinking, suspiciousness, and unusual beliefs; and · Behavioral disturbances such as change in sleep and appetite patterns, social withdrawal, loss of interest in things, deterioration in occupation and academic functioning.
Some people may probably interpret these disturbing behaviors as symptoms of stress especially if the changes are associated with some stressful life events. Others may consider them as the other side of a person’s personality. In some cultures, mental or psychological illness is associated with supernatural causes rather than on the presence of physiological or psychological problems. There needs to be a personal understanding of these disturbances to determine the help seeking behavior. Sometimes, even for those who suspect that it may be a mental health condition, the stigma of seeking psychiatric help may deter them from consulting a psychiatrist. No wonder, it takes so long before a person decides to seek professional help.
In psychiatry, there are a number of disorders that come under the general title of the psychosis. They all manifest different symptoms but all have a common denominator: the psychotic person is no longer in touch with reality. Some of the symptoms or manifestations of a psychosis include:
Usually, the family or the person involved initially seek the assistance of general practitioners and counselors regarding the patient’s change in behavior and inability to normally function as an individual. It is of utmost importance that there is a high index of suspicion in order to pick up cases of possible psychosis. It is also a must to refer them early to doctors for further evaluation and treatment. This is especially true if the person who is exhibiting pre-psychotic symptoms has the following risk factors:
· A positive family history of schizophrenia or psychotic disorder, especially among first degree relatives
· Vulnerable personalities such as those with schizotypal personalities
· History of occasional brief symptoms of hallucinations or delusions
Early psychosis treatment involves psychiatric assessments for individuals who have symptoms of psychosis or possible psychosis. An initial assessment is done by a psychiatrist together with a case manager, who may also be a psychologist. Social workers and nurses can also assist in the evaluation. If the individual is accepted into the program, the case manager and psychiatrist will continue to provide medications for use by the patient. Aside from drug treatments, counseling, psycho-education, psychotherapy, involvement in support groups, and family support are all essential to the success of the treatment of psychosis.
Many people have funny notions about what causes anxiety attacks. There are all kinds of myths and misinformation. Anxiety attacks are hard to deal with as it is without having people look at you strangely, like you are afflicted with some sort of communicable disease. Worse yet some people banter around the word crazy when referring to people with anxiety attacks.
If you are a person that is dealing with anxiety attacks, finding information about what the cause of anxiety attack is can be frustrating. There are many different ideas about the causes of anxiety attacks and some of them are wrong. When a person is having regular anxiety attacks they can feel depressed and bad about themselves because they feel it is their fault. Many people feel they are the cause of the anxiety attack and that if they just had greater control over themselves that they would not have them.
Suffererss who have knowledge about the cause of anxiety attacks are the individuals who are most likely to succeed and breakthrough and having this is one of the greatest tools to use to stop them. It is knowledge, not control that is the key to overcoming anxiety attacks.
One of the more common myths about the cause of anxiety attacks is that a person is going crazy, more specifically, that they have some form of schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is a genetic disorder that is not caused by anxiety. It may contain anxiety components, but is much different than anxiety attacks. People with schizophrenia usually have disjointed thoughts, speech babbling and are plagued with delusions and hallucinations. People with anxiety attacks usually do not suffer from these symptoms.
Schizophrenia usually begins in a persons teen age years and is diagnosable by age 25. Schizophrenia is not a disorder than suddenly appears; it is a gradual debilitating disease that a person is born with. So unless you have a strong family history of schizophrenia it is not something you should worry about nor should you think that it is a cause of your anxiety attack.
Another belief about the cause of anxiety attacks is that it is about losing control. People believe that they will die, lose organ function or lose their grip on reality. People believe that you might go on killing spree or pass out in a car and run into a shopping mall.
These are all fallacies of the mind. You are not going to do any of those things. Anxiety is the bodies natural response to feeling that it is in danger. Anxiety is not dangerous and neither are you.
A lot of people with panic attacks believe they are going to lose total control of themselves. The fact is that most of the anxiety attack occurs in the mind. People around the person having the attack rarely notice they are having a problem. The fear of embarrassing yourself can actually make the anxiety worse. It is the feeling of losing control in front of others that can trigger the anxiety attack. It becomes a self fulfilling prophecy except that people usually never lose control of themselves during an anxiety attack.
Some people feel that when an anxiety attack occurs that they will pass out in a public place. They imagine that they will be in the middle of a grocery store lying prone and unconscious in the floor. Worse than that some people believe that they will have an attack and no one will be around. They worry that they will be strewn in some ditch somewhere.
The fact is the fainting is not common with people having a panic attack. Fainting is usually the result of not enough oxygen going to the brain. When a person is having an anxiety attack their heart is usually pumping hard to circulate oxygen rich blood through out the body. A person may feel light headed because they may be hyperventilating but this usually does not lead to a fainting spell.
Another myth about anxiety attacks is that they are somehow caused by the heart. People believe they are having a heart attack. They feel tightness or pain in their chest, their heart is beating fast, they may be sweating and their respirations have increased. It is easy to see where the myth came from but the heart is not the cause of an anxiety attack not does an anxiety attack result in a heart attack.
Heart attacks usually occur when the heart is under stress that is during physical exertion. Panic attacks occur at anytime. Heart attacks are usually abated by resting and reducing the stress on the heart. A panic attack usually goes on and a person must calm themselves mentally before it really begins to subside. It is not a matter of control; it is more a matter of relinquishing control.
If you were to hook a person up to an EKG that is having a heart attack you would see unusual heart beats. A person having an anxiety attack usually only has an elevated heart rate.
The best way to reduce your anxiety of your heart is to see your doctor and have an EKG. Once you realize there is nothing to worry about it should reduce your anxiety over having a heart attack.
As you can see people worry about symptoms of anxiety attacks and misdiagnose themselves. They believe that the cause of an anxiety attack is mental or physical disease. Once they realize that it is not they can learn to overcome anxiety attacks for good.
Bipolar disorder is a very serious mental health problem that centres on variation of moods in persons that suffer. It is a condition that goes by several other names that include the following. It is also known as manic depression, manic depressive disorder and bipolar affective disorder; just to mention a few. When it comes to this disorder, the term mania will feature a lot referring to abnormally elevated moods which is clinically defined as stated. Those that fall into the trap of the disorder will often have the depressive and manic episodes that can also present with all sorts of mixed symptoms.
In patients, depression and mania will tend to alternate and this is commonly known as rapid cycling. These cycles can pave way to more severe forms of the disorder which can present with psychotic symptoms. Examples of such symptoms to be observed in people that have extreme bipolar disorder include delusions and hallucinations. There are many types of this disorder and they are subdivided into several categories according to severity. Bipolar spectrum refers to the different ranges that the disorder can be placed in.
The following are examples of top types of bipolar disorder. There is bipolar I, bipolar II, cyclothymia and the list goes on. When it comes to different cultures and ethnic groups, this condition does not discriminate. Also, experts say that it affects men and women equally. In the United States alone, there are around 5 million people who suffer from bipolar disorders of some kind. When it comes to symptoms, they will differ from individual to individual. So far, no blood tests can conclusively show that the disorder is present in a person.
It is pretty difficult to tell bipolar disorder from other similar disorders. Experts in the field also find it difficult to make accurate diagnosis. However, the symptoms of bipolar disorder will differ from unipolar depressive conditions when patients experience depressive symptoms together with manic ones. In other words, mania and depression will be the things to look out for to identify this condition.
For those who are not familiar with depressive and maniac symptoms, the following are examples. When the sufferers of bipolar disorder are depressed they will feel sad, anxious, guilty, angry, isolated, hopeless, lonely, fatigued, no joy for life, no sexual appetite, poor concentration, suicidal and a general loss of motivation for life.
When it comes to manic episodes, the following are the symptoms to look out for. First, there is increased energy, increased spending, low concentration, poor or distorted speech due to fast thoughts, the patient might abuse substances like sleeping pills, alcohol, cocaine and other stimulants.
Patients that are manic will also be aggressive and somewhat uncontrollable. They will have an increased sexual drive and many will be euphoric to say the least. There are other symptoms that will be as a result of a milder mania which is commonly known as hypomania. There are so many aspects to this disorder and many that suffer around the world do not even know it.
Bipolar disorder, which is characterized by mood swings and instability, affects thousands of people around the world. Although there are many different treatment options available to treat bipolar disorder, it can still prove to be a devastating illness. This brain disorder was rarely found in children till some years ago. Now, the problem seems to have become more common. Bipolar children treatment is more or less similar to the way adults are treated for the condition.
Bipolar children treatment works best when it is ongoing and not on an on and off basis. Sadness, anxiety, bed wetting, hallucinations, rage and irritable mood are some of the symptoms of bipolar disorder in children. Bipolar children treatment should immediately if you were to notice some of these symptoms in your child.
Various types of medication are used in bipolar children treatment. The type of medication will vary from one child to another. In some cases a combination of medications is also given. It could be because the symptoms could be more complex or because in some cases, different types of medication need to be tried in order to find the one that works the best for the individual. When talking to your child\’s doctor about child\’s treatment, you should inform them about any other medical condition that your child may have or any medication that your child may already be taking. This is important since there are chances that certain bipolar disorder medications might interfere with the working of other medication.
Psychotherapy is also used as a bipolar children treatment method. This therapy can help children change their behavioral pattern. The treatment that is on an ongoing basis can help children manage their routines better while also helping them to get along well with adults.