All posts tagged: psychosis

psychosis

How do you know you’re in psychosis?

How does someone know if they are in psychosis?  As it turns out, this is precisely the correct question to ask.  There is a simple and interesting answer to this question.  But first, let’s begin with how NAMI (National Alliance On Mental Illness), an authority on mental illness, defines psychosis: “Most people think of psychosis as a break with reality. In a way it is. Psychosis is characterized as disruptions to a person’s thoughts and perceptions that make it difficult for them to recognize what is real and what isn’t. These disruptions are often experienced as seeing, hearing and believing things that aren’t real or having strange, persistent thoughts, behaviors and emotions. While everyone’s experience is different, most people say psychosis is frightening and confusing.” –nami.org, emphasis mine Many people associate psychosis with its dramatic symptoms of hallucinations and bizarre beliefs.  Disorganized thinking is another unmistakable sign of psychosis. These are not wrong associations.  However, the defining feature of psychosis is a lack of insight.  In other words, a true psychosis is one where the …

5 Reasons to Consider Psychiatric Medication

Top 5 Reasons to Consider Psychiatric Medication

Introduction A surprising dichotomy of viewpoints seems to arise around the topic of psychiatry and management; the first is that psychiatrists are real doctors and psychotherapists are quacks.  The second is that medication is for suckers, weaklings, and the desperate. The polarization I’ve observed about these topics is surprising considering all evidence seems to indicate that both work pretty well together.  While it’s not my place to tell people they must be on medication (As in, legally I’m not allowed to), I can certainly tell you about my experience with medication as a supplement to psychotherapy, and why it may make sense to consult with a psychiatrist about your needs. 1. Step Outside the System Our personalities and individual psychologies are complex dynamic systems.  Our character structures consist of many forces, mounting pressures, levers, sources of friction, algorithms, contingencies, etc. that come together to create an overall feeling of goodness or badness of some kind.  The important point about our personalities being systems is that they seem to favor repeated, stable, and predictable outcomes, regardless …