The word 'psychosis' comes from the ancient Greek words, 'psychi' which means mind or soul and 'osis', which means 'abnormal'. Thus, any aberration in the normal condition of the mind is psychosis.
Medically speaking, psychosis is defined as a loss of contact with reality. The term is so wide ranging that it can cover anything from eccentric behavior to catatonia. In this article, we will briefly take a look at what acute psychosis is and how it can be managed.
Because psychosis is a problem with the mind, it is very difficult to actually pin down what causes psychosis.
For example, the brains of schizophrenics have been found to have an alternative connection between two portions of their brain, giving rise to the typical symptoms of schizophrenia—visual and auditory hallucinations.
There are a number of reasons that can cause psychosis. These could range from starvation to consuming certain weight loss supplements that can alter the biochemistry of the brain, leading to psychosis. Certain products are known to cause psychosis. Products containing ephedra alkaloids, including herbal supplements made from the plant ephedra sinica, which is common throughout the world, have been banned in the United States because of its negative effects.
Psychosis is a very broad term and many doctors do not use psychosis to define many mental illnesses. This is because any behavior which is not considered normal can be defined as psychosis.
Acute psychosis, on the other hand, is a quantitatively definable illnesses, where a person exhibits certain symptoms. Any behavior or condition with an unknown cause accompanied by behavioral disorders, may be categorized as acute psychosis. Some of the symptoms of acute psychosis include:
Other psychosomatic illnesses such as schizophrenia also come under the broad category of acute psychosis. This list of symptoms, however, is not a comprehensive one and like all mental disorders there can be totally unrelated symptoms. Thus, a proper diagnosis requires assessment by a trained mental health practitioner.
Like all mental illnesses, managing psychosis is not easy. Although illnesses can be broadly classified and their symptoms described, every single case is unique and no case is exactly like another. The management of psychosis thus becomes a challenge. The traditional methods of dealing with psychosis involve a two-pronged approach that comprises of medication and behavioral therapy. Increasingly, alternative methods of treatment are also being successfully used to further hasten the process of healing.
For instance, recent studies have confirmed that music therapy is very effective in dealing with psychotic illnesses. How exactly music alters the neurological functions of the brain is not known; what is known is that certain kinds of music have been shown to have a marked influence on psychotic patients.
Pet therapy is now becoming a very popular form of treatment because of its effectiveness in dealing with many kinds of mental illnesses. Once again, the exact mechanism behind how pets help is not known. As of now, information just shows that animal-assisted therapy works very well indeed.
Other methods of treatment include electroconvulsive therapy, also known as shock treatment, cognitive behavior therapy, and family therapy. While shock therapy has been used for decades, cognitive behavior therapy and family therapy are newer systems.
Psychotic illnesses are very rarely dangerous and violent behavior is often the result of concomitant use of medication and/or alcohol. Studies have showed that alcohol seems to have a very negative influence on psychotic cases, and even harmless people turn violent when under the influence.
No treatment method can be conclusively proven to be the best. The most appropriate form of treatment for a particular psychosis may have to be discovered through the process of trial and error.
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