Psychotic disorders

Psychotic disorders are a group of serious illnesses that affect the mind. They make it hard for someone to think clearly, make good judgments, respond emotionally, communicate effectively, understand reality, and behave appropriately. When symptoms are severe, people with psychotic disorders have trouble staying in touch with reality and often are unable to handle daily life. But even severe psychotic disorders usually can be treated.

Types of Psychotic Disorders

There are different types of psychotic disorders, including:

• Schizophrenia: This is a chronic condition that requires lifelong treatment. Schizophrenia symptoms include hallucinations, delusions, and disorganized thinking.

• Schizoaffective disorder: This condition is characterized by a mood disorder either depression or bipolar disorder and symptoms of schizophrenia.

• Delusional disorder: The key symptom is having a delusion (a false, fixed belief) involving real-life situations that could be true but aren’t, such as being followed, being plotted against, or having a disease.

• Brief psychotic disorder: In this condition, sudden, short periods (up to a month) of psychotic behavior are experienced, often in response to a very stressful event, such as a death in the family.

• Substance-induced psychotic disorder: This condition is caused by the use of or withdrawal from drugs, such as hallucinogens and crack cocaine, that cause hallucinations, delusions, or confused speech.

• Psychotic disorder due to another medical condition: Hallucinations, delusions, or other symptoms may happen because of another illness that affects brain function, such as a brain tumor or stroke.

Symptoms

Symptoms of psychotic disorders can include:

• Hallucinations: These involve seeing, hearing, feeling, or smelling things that aren’t present.

• Delusions: These are false beliefs, often with themes of mistrust or threat, that the person refuses to give up despite evidence to the contrary.

• Disorganized speech: This can involve confusion, slow or blocked thoughts, or strange ways of talking, such as switching topics randomly.

• Disorganized behavior: This can show up as unpredictable agitation, lack of impulse control, or unusual dress or behavior.

Causes

The exact cause of psychotic disorders is not known, but they are most likely caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Having a family history of psychotic disorders can increase a person's risk of developing one.

Treatment

Treatment for psychotic disorders often involves a combination of medication, psychotherapy, and social support. Antipsychotic medications are usually the first line of treatment, followed by psychotherapy, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy or supportive therapy.

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