People in the psychotic period stay away from their social lives. They also have difficulty in continuing their daily work. For this reason, necessary treatment should be taken as soon as the symptoms of psychosis are noticed. Because when psychosis is not treated, it affects daily life intensely.

What is Psychosis?

It is a psychiatric term that describes impairments in thinking and perception. It is used to describe situations where the contact with reality is lost and the real and the unreal cannot be distinguished.

What are the Causes?

Psychosis is divided into 4 main groups. These are;

• Environmental factors
• Substance or drug use
• Genetic transmission
• Another health condition (brain tumors, cancer metastases, etc.)

What Are the Symptoms of Psychosis?

The symptoms are as follows:

• Showing emotional reactions that do not match the situation or the content of the person's thought.
• Hallucinations
• Dual affections of hate and also of love
• Decrease in functionality
• Delusions
• Disturbances in attention and memory
• Disruptions in judgment
• Introversion

What are the Disorders for which Psychosis Determines?

Disorders in which it is decisive are as follows:

Substance-Induced

Substance use disorder has a prevalence of 15% in the general population. However, 50% of psychotic disorder cases have a substance use disorder at some point in their lives.

Schizophrenia

It is the most common accompanying disorder of psychosis. Patients have difficulty distinguishing between what is real and what is not. However, in order to diagnose schizophrenia, it is necessary to know the duration of the disease and to exclude the conditions that cause psychosis.

Shared

It is a rare disorder characterized by two or more people in a family or group sharing the same delusion. It usually occurs between husband and wife, parents and children.

The delusion of the person who is actually sick in the family is shared by other family members. Sharers are usually isolated, disconnected from society. In the treatment, the person who shares the delusion should be separated from the person who is the original patient.

Delusional Disorder

The patient has well-ordered delusions that are solitary or congruent with one another. Apart from these delusions, no significant disorder attracts attention. The most common type is persecution paranoia.

What Diseases Is Psychosis Associated With?

Psychosis can be seen together with psychiatric illness. These diseases are as follows:

• Delusional disorder
• Schizophrenia form disorder
• Shared
• Substance-related psychotic disorder
• Psychotic disorder due to medical condition
• Bipolar disorder
• Depressive disorder
• Delirium
• Dementia

How is the Diagnosis Made?

Diagnosis in psychiatric diseases is made by sequential psychiatric examinations. Scales are used to support the diagnosis and determine the benefit of treatment. The scales used for the diagnosis of psychosis are as follows:

• BNSS (Short Negative Symptom Scale)
• BPRS (Short Psychiatry Rating Scale)
• SAPS (Positive Symptoms Evaluation Scale)
• PANSS (Positive and Negative Symptoms Scale)

Psychosis Treatment

Outpatient follow-up and inpatient treatment options are available. Treatment is generally continued with outpatient follow-ups, except for cases requiring hospitalization.

Psychosis and psychotic disorders are antipsychotic group drugs. Although antipsychotic drugs relieve the symptoms of the disease in the active period, they are effective in prevention and prevention of disease recurrence. The following drugs can be given as examples of antipsychotic group drugs.

• Chlorpromazine
• Aripiprazole
• Haloperidol
• Clozapine
• Sulpiride
• Quetiapine
• Olanzapine
• Risperidone

In resistant cases, ECT (electro-convulsive therapy) can be applied. Supportive psychotherapies and cognitive behavioral therapy can be applied. Other treatments can be done in addition to medical treatment. It should not be forgotten that medical treatment is the most important step. Treatment arrangements are made according to the disorder accompanied by psychosis.

In substance-induced psychosis, first of all, substance use should be stopped, in drug-induced psychosis, drug discontinuation and replacement, if possible, and in medical-related psychosis, treatment of the causing medical condition is required. Regular drug use and regular follow-up greatly reduce the risk of psychosis recurrence.