Psychosis

The imagery conjured up by the word ‘psychosis’ – 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘮𝘴, 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘴𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘧𝘧 𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘦𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 – is reflective of a commonly held mischaracterisation of the term and how best to treat it.

Psychosis and other mental health crises and symptoms that require intervention are often translated as literal illnesses. Sufferers are hospitalised and medicated. Mental health units are sterile and secure due to hospital protocol and standards.

𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝘂𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗰𝗮𝗻’𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗯𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.

The reality is that major mental health units contain a population of people who have experienced significant difficulties with alcohol or drugs or have been physically or sexually violated as children or adults. People who are alienated, isolated, lonely and live in poverty are overrepresented in this treatment population.

Their problems cannot be boiled down to internal illness, when they have experienced or are experiencing major external societal and relational difficulties.

𝙎𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙦𝙪𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢, 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙪𝙧𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙙𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙤𝙪𝙩𝙙𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙?

In order to get the most up to date voice from a professional in this space, we welcome Dr. Lynette Rose, Senior Consultant Psychiatrist and Head of the Marion Psychosis Unit to present on the changing face of psychosis. Sign up to the Advanced Tier of bower(knowledge) to view the presentation.

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