What+Is+Psychosis?

= = == =__**Psychosis **__=

Psychosis is a brain disorder that affects one's ability to distinguish between what is reality and what is not (Czuchta & Ryan,1999, p. 2). Psychosis typically presents itself in the late teenage years and in the early twenties (Czuchta & Ryan, 1999, p. 2). Due to this age of onset both men and women tend to have difficulty in performing and completing developmental tasks that are common for their stage of life (Roy, Rousseau, Fortier & Mottard, 2008, p. 424). Examples may include the completion of high school or post secondary education, career pursuits and the development of relationships outside of the family unit. First episode psychosis tends to impair ones social functioning, quality of life and occupational functioning. First episode psychosis refers to the first onset of psychotic symptoms and this may occur in relation to; schizophrenia, schizophrenia form disorder, mania, bipolar disorder, schizoaffective disorder, drug-induced psychosis, brief psychotic disorder and delusional disorders (Czuchta & Ryan, 1999, p. 5-6). When defining psychosis it is important to note that psychosis is a symptom and not an illness in and of itself, which is why it is connected to many other disorders as part of their symptomology.

=__Risk Factors:__=
 * Genetic
 * Cannabis Use
 * Immigration
 * Urbanizationmedia type="youtube" key="xEXyqe85cuA?rel=0" height="283" width="378" align="right"
 * Winter Births
 * Obstetric Complications/Pregnancy Complications

(Chiliza, Oosthuizen & Emsley, 2008, p. 16)

=__Symptoms of Psychosis__=

**Positive Symptoms**

 * Hallucinations
 * Delusions
 * Disorganized thoughts and behaviours

(Chiliza, Oosthuizen & Emsley, 2008, p. 15)

**Negative Symptoms**

 * Poor communication concerning thought and affect
 * Emotional withdrawal
 * Apathy
 * Motor and mental slowing

(Chiliza, Oosthuizen & Emsley, 2008, p. 16)

=__A Brief Overview of Treatments__=

Any delays in treatment during first episode psychosis have been shown to yield poor outcomes in remission rates and responsiveness to treatment (Tanskanen et al., 2011, p. 1). Unfortunately the duration of untreated psychosis (DUP) has an average of two years or longer (Tanskanen et al., 2011, p. 1). The reasons for DUP include; poverty, lack of family and community education of mental illness, reluctance to accept illness as a reality due to social stigmas, long waitlists for treatment and the inability for health care professionals to diagnose due to a lack of appropriate diagnostic tools (Tanskanen et al., 2011, p. 2).

**Pharmacology Interventions**
The use of medications focuses on improving one's level of functioning by controlling acute symptoms and reducing the severity and frequency of negative symptoms (Regehr & Glancy, 2010, p. 137). Refer to Pharmacology page for more information.

**Psychosocial Interventions**

 * Individual therapy
 * Family therapy- Psychoeducation dealing with problem solving skill and communication skills such as multifamily group psychoeducation and cognitive remediation
 * Community support services such as income, employment, housing and education opportunities

(Breitbordel, Moreno, Mai-Dixon, Peterson, Durst, Bernstein, Byreddy & McFarlane, 2011, p. 9).

**Cognitive Behavioural Therapy**

 * Individual- works on suicidality, substance abuse and coping with symptoms
 * Cognitive oriented psychotherapy- strategies in adjusting to illness

(Penn et al., 2005, p. 2220).

**Relapse Prevention**
Building a relapse prevention plan, a list of potential triggers and identifying potential barriers to treatment that may become needed throughout the course of treatment (Penn et al., 2005, p. 2229).

**Social Interventions**
These interventions include social media use and are largely targeted at adolescents and young adults who are experiencing the negative health consequences of psychosis. The use of media technologies is to build a support system and a community through popular means of communication.
 * Dietary Choices
 * Exercise

(Alvarez-Jimenez, Anda, Baksheev, Gibbs, Killackey & Sun, 2011, p. 80).

**Early Psychosis Intervention Programs (EPI)**
(Tanskanen et al., 2011, p. 2).
 * Targets people who have just developed psychosis
 * Provides education to professionals, communities and general public
 * Research

__***Note:**__ Please see "Pharmacotherapy" and "Psychosocial and Psychotherapy Interventions" for more detailed information on available treatment options*