Psychotic Disorders
Psychotic disorders are a group of serious illnesses that
affect the mind. These illnesses alter a person's ability to think clearly,
make good judgments, respond emotionally, communicate effectively, understand
reality and behave appropriately. When symptoms are severe, people with
psychotic disorders have difficulty staying in touch with reality and often are
unable to meet the ordinary demands of daily life. However, even the most
severe psychotic disorders usually are treatable.
There are different types of psychotic disorders, including:
- Schizophrenia: People with this illness have changes in behavior and other symptoms—such as
delusions and hallucinations—that last longer than six months, usually with
a decline in work, school and social functioning.
- Schizoaffective disorder:
People with this illness have symptoms of
both schizophrenia and a mood disorder, such as depression or bipolar
disorder.
- Schizophreniform disorder: People with this illness have symptoms of schizophrenia, but
the symptoms last more than one month but less than six months.
- Brief psychotic disorder: People with this illness have sudden, short periods of
psychotic behavior, often in response to a very stressful event, such as a
death in the family. Recovery is often quick—usually less than a month.
- Delusional disorder: People with this illness have delusions
involving real-life situations that could be true, such as being followed,
being conspired against or having a disease. These delusions persist for at
least one month.
- Shared psychotic disorder: This illness occurs when a person
develops delusions in the context of a relationship with another person who
already has his or her own delusion(s).
- Substance-induced psychotic disorder: This condition is caused by
the use of or withdrawal from some substances, such as alcohol and crack
cocaine, that may cause hallucinations, delusions or confused speech.
- Psychotic disorder due to a medical condition:
Hallucinations,
delusions or other symptoms may be the result of another illness that affects
brain function, such as a head injury or brain tumor.
- Paraphrenia: This is a type of schizophrenia that starts late in
life and occurs in the elderly population.
What are the symptoms of a psychotic disorder?
Symptoms vary from person to person and may change over time. The major
symptoms of psychotic disorders are hallucinations and delusions.
Hallucinations are unusual sensory experiences or perceptions of things that
aren't actually present, such as seeing things that aren't there, hearing
voices, smelling odors, having a "funny" taste in your mouth and feeling
sensations on your skin even though nothing is touching your body.
Delusions are false beliefs that are persistent and organized, and that do
not go away after receiving logical or accurate information. For example, a
person who is certain his or her food is poisoned, even if it has been proven
that the food is fine, is suffering from a delusion.
Other possible symptoms of psychotic illnesses include:
- Disorganized or incoherent speech
- Confused thinking
- Strange, possibly dangerous behavior
- Slowed or unusual movements
- Loss of interest in personal hygiene
- Loss of interest in activities
- Problems at school or work and with relationships
- Cold, detached manner with the inability to express emotion
- Mood swings or other mood symptoms, such as depression or mania
What causes psychotic disorders?
The exact cause of psychotic disorders is not known, but
researchers believe that many factors may play a role. Some psychotic disorders
tend to run in families, suggesting that the tendency, or likelihood, to
develop the disorder may be inherited. Environmental factors may also play a
role in their development, including stress, drug abuse and major life
changes.
In addition, people with certain psychotic disorders may have
an imbalance of certain chemicals in the brain. They may be either very
sensitive to or produce too much of a chemical called dopamine. Dopamine is a
neurotransmitter, a substance that helps nerve cells in the brain send messages
to each other. An imbalance of dopamine affects the way the brain reacts to
certain stimuli, such as sounds, smells and sights and can lead to
hallucinations and delusions.
Next: How common are psychotic disorders? »
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