

But once a client is in treatment, it is very important that they remain on the psychiatric medication prescribed to them, as stopping the medication suddenly and without professional guidance can cause a regression back to psychosis.īecause psychotic episodes greatly impact a person’s ability to function in their daily lives, it requires comprehensive, long-term treatment efforts. Coordinated specialty care enlists clients, their families, and a team of health professionals and specialists in developing and executing a long-term treatment plan.Ĭlients may receive any combination of these or other therapies.


Medical conditions: HIV and AIDS, malaria, syphilis, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, hypoglycemia, lupus, multiple sclerosis, and brain tumours have all been linked to psychotic breaks.Psychological causes: Schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, severe depression, or even severe lack of sleep can induce a psychotic episode.

But science has explored several major potential causes over the last several decades, including: Psychosis has a variety of causes, some of which are still being studied by medicine. If someone you love has experienced a psychotic episode caused by any number of triggers, it’s important to get professional help as soon as possible. When someone experiences a psychotic episode, delusions can seem completely true and often feel terrifying. “I was convinced this man was going to kill me and I had to get away.” Her idea that the man in the hat was her assailant and that he wanted to kill her were delusions, or false beliefs. She had suffered a sexual assault during college, and seeing the blue Dallas Cowboys cap and hearing a male voice saying “don’t move” tricked her amygdala into thinking the trauma was happening to her all over again. She didn’t know it at the time, but Charlotte had suffered a psychotic episode brought on by trauma. Fortunately, the couple she ran into helped her, and convinced her to call her sister, who came and picked her up. When they asked her what was wrong, she could only stutter incomprehensible words. She dropped her purse and ran, bumping into a couple who were window shopping. She knew, without knowing how or why, that this man was going to try to kill her. Her palms got sweaty and her heart started to pound. The man, talking on his phone, said, “Don’t move, I’ll be right there.” Charlotte felt dizzy. As she stood in line to order a croissant with eggs from a street cart, a man walked up behind her wearing a blue baseball cap that said “Dallas Cowboys” on it. One morning on her way to work, Charlotte got off the bus a few stops early to get breakfast.
