What to know about psychosis

Psychosis means a loss of contact with reality; it is a symptom of a number of mental illnesses rather than a medical condition in its own right.

Some estimates suggest that 14.7 to 18.5 percent of people with major depression may experience psychotic features and that the prevalence rates may rise with age.

This form of depression is an underdiagnosed and undertreated condition.

People must remember that psychosis is a symptom of particular mental health conditions, not a disorder in itself.

Experiencing psychosis can be frightening and confusing, and psychosis can present in a variety of ways.

Symptoms of psychosis include delusions, also known as false beliefs or false perceptions, hallucinations, or seeing or hearing things that are not present paranoia.

Healthcare professionals can misdiagnose depression with psychotic features as other disorders. These other illnesses may include major depressive disorder without psychotic features, schizoaffective disorder; depression not otherwise specified mood disorder.

A misdiagnosis is often due to a lack of recognition of the psychotic features of major depression.

A mental health professional who is licensed to diagnose must decide if someone has psychotic depression.

These specialists will conduct a physical examination and may perform blood or urine tests to rule out other possible medical problems.

The mental health professional will also ask about an individual’s symptoms and medical history.

If the person has a family history of bipolar disorder, the doctor may screen for manic episodes.

Steps to recovery

Psychosis can lead a person to hold a distorted view of what others perceive to be reality. The delusions or hallucinations associated with psychotic depression can lead to a medical emergency, which needs immediate medical attention.

A person may need to spend some time in the hospital, followed by an inpatient or outpatient treatment program.

Doctors are still trying to establish the most effective treatment for depression with psychosis.

Treatments focus on reducing or managing symptoms. Currently, no treatments can entirely cure psychotic depression. This means that people will usually need on-going treatment.

Culled from Medical News Today