Why One Case of Psychosis Cannot Define the Illness |
Find a therapist to treat psychosis
Being psychotic does not automatically make a person violent.
Selective exposure in the media helps drive the belief that most cases of psychosis involve violence.
Cutting support based on rare violent cases risks undermining recovery and worsening outcomes.
We must be careful not to let one case define psychosis in general, as each case of psychosis can be as unique and varied as fingerprints. Psychosis can draw from and play upon your deepest insecurities, memories, and relationships in a way that is deeply personal and customized. Alternate realities and false narratives are created by your brain through reshuffling what it has already experienced, and it seems 100 percent real.
Psychosis can present in infinite variations that are categorically different, so to learn of one publicized case and apply that understanding to all cases of psychosis is misguided and harmful for the vast majority of people who experience psychosis. One may assume that one case of psychosis is just like any other, but that is not correct. We should not define, judge, or epitomize an illness through one instance of psychosis and make decisions and judgments for everyone with that illness accordingly.
Every Case Is Different Based on Numerous Factors
Psychosis as a mental health condition is diverse and varied in many ways. There are psychotic-like elements (PLEs), one-time breaks, and chronic disorders. Cases range from mild to severe.
Some people black out, and others remember everything. Some have insight that they are experiencing psychotic symptoms, while others do not.
Some people hear voices, and others don’t. Some elements of psychosis, like hallucinations, can be friendly and helpful, but others can be mean and scary. Some people have psychosis for days, some for weeks, some for months, and some for years.
Some people can manage at home under careful supervision of family, and others need to commit themselves to a psych ward. Some people just need to be in an emergency psych ward to recover, while others need to be institutionalized in a state hospital.
Some people choose medicine, and others are determined to go without it. Some people experience debilitating side effects from........