What Helps ?
Being aware of early signs of psychosis
The experience of psychosis is individual to each person, as is what happens in the time before a psychotic episode happens. But most commonly people might experience:
- Feeling confused, irritable, anxious or depressed.
- Feeling suspicious, tense or threatened
- Mood swings
- Problems sleeping
- Struggling with work or school
- Not being interested in the things you usually enjoy
- Not being able to concentrate or remember things
Later on people might have experiences of hearing and seeing things that other people can’t.
Getting help early
Getting help early on when you or someone you know might be experiencing psychosis is really important. Psychosis can be distressing, so limiting the time people experience it is important. Getting help early not only reduces the distress people experience, it also reduces the chances of having another psychotic episode. It reduces the disruption in people’s lives so they are more likely to be able to carry on working or going to school and find it easier to carry on with their social life.
It is better to ask for help, rather than using street drugs and alcohol to manage worrying thoughts, as these can lead to problems of their own.
Medication
Medication is often used to reduce or stop the psychotic experiences. A doctor would talk to the person with psychosis and explain the options along with the positives and negatives to taking medication. This discussion would help in reaching an agreement about if medication is to be used and which one is best.
The type of medication used to treat psychosis is called ‘antipsychotic’ medication. There are a number of different antipsychotics and the newer ones, called ‘atypicals’ have fewer side effects than older antipsychotics.
Sometimes the Doctor might suggest other tablets that help with anxiety or low mood, that can accompany psychosis or they might suggest something to help with sleep in the short term.
Talking
Talking in a safe non-judgemental environment, to mental health workers, or other people used to hearing about similar experiences can help people understand what is happening to them and find ways of coping with it.
Work, education and social life.
These are all important factors and keeping these things going can really help as they provide support, help, a sense of purpose and better future prospects.
What should I do to help someone I know who has psychosis?
Sometimes it can be difficult to follow what someone with psychosis is trying to tell you, it can also be difficult for them to understand or trust you. Your friend or relative might also be anxious and distressed. It is important not to tell someone that they are wrong, you may not be able to hear or see what they can or think that their suspicions are wrong, but this is a very real experience for the individual. It is ok though to tell them you don’t have the same experiences.
If the person hasn’t done so already, encourage them to get help, contacting their GP can be a good start, or contact GRIP directly. Seeing someone you know experiencing psychosis can be distressing for you, so it can be important for you to talk to someone else about your feelings. It can be frustrating to look after someone who is behaving differently, but staying calm and uncritical when talking with them will help. Organisations like the Samaritans, who offer listening and emotional support can also be useful.
