The phrase “psychotic disorders” means a broad conceptualization of psychotic conditions including primary psychoses, like psychotic mood disorders and schizophrenia, other states that are sometimes identified by psychopathic characteristics, for instance, body dysmorphic disorder and borderline personality disorder. Also, the psychotic conditions may include secondary psychotic conditions as a result of substances, or medical conditions, for example, alcohol withdrawal dementia (Walder, Statucka, Daly, & Yaffe, 2017). The affliction of psychotic disorders is substantial. Such disorders are linked to significant morbidity, disability, as well as mortality, leading to drastically decreased life expectancy. Although these details are sobering, there is a shred of hope that psychotic conditions can be obviated (Heckers, 2009). A majority of psychotic disorders are currently seen a changing pathology of the brain, produced by environmental stressors as well as genetic risk factors.
The early 20th century saw the start of research of many psychotic disorders. Psychosis refers to a syndrome that considerably interferes with the functioning of a person, involves a significant departure from reality, regularly including false beliefs or ideas and deranged speech or thoughts (Larson, Walker, & Compton, 2010). These psychotic signs are periodically followed by inappropriate or blunted motivational shortcomings as well as emotional expressions. Mood abnormalities such as depression, anxiety, and disturbances in sleep are also prevalent. Following Larson, Walker, and Compton (2010), present systems of diagnostic differentiate between the affective as well the nonaffective psychotic disorders depending on whether the affective signs or mood, typically co-happen with the psychotic symptoms.
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Psychotic disorders that are nonaffective involve psychotic episodes that frequently take place outside of a mood episode. They are often thought-out to include schizophreniform disorder, schizophrenia, delusional disorder, shared psychotic disorder, schizoaffective disorder, brief psychotic disorder, a psychotic disorder as a result of a medical condition, and psychotic disorder that is substance induced (Larson, Walker, & Compton, 2010). Affective psychotic conditions are different in that the psychotic episodes co-happen with adverse disturbances in mood, and involve disorders like bipolar disorder with depression and psychotic features.
Historical Perspective of Psychotic Disorders
Literature concerning psychotic disorders and psychoses can be gotten in the research of the world since antiquity. Intense explanations of some states belonging to this group can be found in China, Mesopotamia, India and many cultures in the Mediterranean region. During these eras, the dominant opinion was that psychotic disorders were caused by possession of demons as well as evil spirits or that they symbolized deserved divine punishment. The disorders were of often treated with exorcism or adjuration to the punishing supernatural combined with the right offerings and gifts (Grof, 2008). The priests were in charge of the therapy.
The Middle Ages symbolized a rather blank period regarding the population in general, but circumstances were explicitly hard for people with psychotic illness. During the medieval period, individuals having psychosis were locked up in asylums for lunatics or put in dungeons alongside criminals (Mandal, 2016). Treatment for psychosis primarily involved torture as well as physical punishments. People with psychosis and other mental disorders were regularly accused and tried for engaging in witchcraft.
Thomas Aquinas and Albertus Magnus were exceptions to this lack of advancement in looking at the human mind. Aquinas was a Christian philosopher while Magnus was both a theologian and scientist. Both of them came up with the concept of psychopathology, which stated that insanity or mental illness came from the physical disease since it was not believed that the “soul” could fall ill. As the Western Society began to advance after the middle ages and patterns of thought became more humanitarian and revolutionary, the situation started improving for individuals with psychotic disorders (Mandal, 2016). Philippe Pinel during the French revolution began freeing mental health patients by removing their chains and manacles. Moreover, scientific interest in psychotic disorders started to emerge and change the religious approach.
Karl Friedrich Constatt was the first person to come up with the phrase psychosis. He utilized it as an abbreviation of “psychic neurosis,” where neurosis referred to any disease of the nervous system (Mandal, 2016). Thus, Constatt was referring to a sign of brain disease. Ernst von Feuchtersleben was also widely recognized for utilizing the phrase in 1845, in place of words like mania and insanity. The word psychosis means abnormal condition. It was utilized to differentiate mental disorders from “neurosis,” which was believed to impact the nervous system. Therefore, psychosis became the new phrase for madness.
Emil Kraepelin, a German psychiatrist, brought a new clinical approach to psychotic disorders as opposed to a “symptomatic” one in the late 19th century. He regrouped all the mental illnesses following shared patterns of syndromes or symptoms, instead of grouping them by essential traits (Mandal, 2016). Kraepelin is regularly viewed as the father of contemporary psychiatric classification and is acknowledged explicitly for dividing psychosis into two apparent forms including dementia praecox and manic-depressive insanity. The latter included a wide range of mood disorders unipolar depression to bipolar disorder and other problems that affect the mood of an individual. Dementia praecox was a mental illness that is not related to mood disorders and symbolized by cognitive disintegration as well as psychotic deterioration (Mandal, 2016).
Theoretical Concepts
Cognitive-behavioral concepts can be used to explain and treat psychotic disorders. When it comes to psychosis, the same psychological processes are active in the experience of hallucinations and delusions. For instance, persecutory delusions are seen as threat beliefs that are the individual’s attempt to make sense of his or her individual experiences, while hallucinations can cause problems when they are interpreted by the mental health patient as symbolizing destructive and powerful forces (Freeman, 2013). Therefore, in cognitive therapy for psychotic disorders, thoughts that are fearful are carefully reexamined, withdrawal from the surroundings is gradually reversed, and feelings of control, hope, as well as self-worth are cultivated. Individuals with psychosis are given the opportunity to share their experiences, and significantly, strategies are created from this collaborative talk.
Carl Rogers came up with a theory that was signified by the phrases “person-centered therapy” and “humanistic theory (Reitan, 2013).” This theoretical concept indicates many critical ideas. The first of these is the concept of “conditions of worth” and the concept of “the actualizing tendency (Reitan, 2013).” Rogers says that the society we live in applies to us “conditions of worth.” This implies that the society wants us to behave in specific ways so that we can get rewards. Receiving of rewards means that we are worthy if we act in acceptable ways.
Looking at the life of a patient suffering from a psychotic disorder, the conditions of worth contribute to stigmatization. The psychotic people in our society unintentionally behave in a manner that does not produce rewards. This estimation of the worth of these people only contributes to their suffering. Patients with psychotic disorders are destitute in personal, social, and financial spheres. Carl Rogers failed to agree with the conditions of worth. He held the belief that human beings and other living organisms seek to fulfill their potential. Roger’s termed this striving as “the actualizing tendency” as well as the “force of life (Reitan, 2013).” This growth improving life aspect motivates all forms of life to develop their highest potential fully. Rogers held the belief that mental illness reflects deformity of the actualizing tendency, by faulty conditions of worth. It is evident that psychotic individuals deal with negatively falsified conditions of worth.
Practical application
To determine if the diagnosis of a psychotic disorder is justified, a healthcare professional has to first deliberate if a medical illness may be responsible for the change in behavior. If a disease is recognized or the psychosis is found to be the outcome of exposure to a drug or medication, the patient is seen as having a psychotic condition as a result of a medical disease or psychotic disorder because of withdrawal or toxin exposure. Additionally, if exposure to toxins and medical cause have been looked for and not found, a psychotic disorder like schizophrenia could be put into consideration. The diagnosis will be given by a licensed mental-health professional such as a clinical psychologist or psychiatrist, who can carefully examine the patient and consider the diagnostic criteria for some mental illnesses that might seem alike at the first examination, like bipolar disorder or schizoid personality disorder. Other professionals in health care who may assess psychotic disorders may include social workers who possess a license, psychiatric nurses, and sometimes non-psychiatric physicians.
Conclusion
In a nutshell, psychotic disorders mean a comprehensive conceptualization of psychotic conditions including primary psychoses, like psychotic mood disorders and schizophrenia, as well as borderline personality disorder. Psychotic disorders decrease the life expectancy of an individual since it linked to significant morbidity, disability, as well as mortality. The disorders are often characterized by psychosis which is a syndrome that considerably interferes with the functioning of a person. An individual suffering from psychosis has distorted patterns of thoughts and speech.
References
Freeman, D. (2013, December 11). special-reports/cognitive-behavioral-therapy-psychotic-disorders . Retrieved from http://www.psychiatrictimes.com: http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/special-reports/cognitive-behavioral-therapy-psychotic-disorders
Grof, S. (2008). Psychosis and Human Society: A historical perspective. 1-22.
Heckers, S. (2009). Who is at Risk for a Psychotic Disorder? The Journal of Psychoses and Related Disorders , 847-850.
Larson, M. L., Walker, E. F., & Compton, M. T. (2010). Early signs, diagnosis, and therapeutics of the prodromal phase of schizophrenia and related psychotic disorders. PubMed Central , 1347-1359.
Mandal, A. (2016, February). health/Psychosis-History.aspx . Retrieved from https://www.news-medical.net: https://www.news-medical.net/health/Psychosis-History.aspx
Reitan, A. (2013, February 24). 2013/02/24/humanistic-theory-and-therapy-applied-to-the-psychotic-individual/ . Retrieved from http://brainblogger.com: http://brainblogger.com/2013/02/24/humanistic-theory-and-therapy-applied-to-the-psychotic-individual/
Walder, D. J., Statucka, M., Daly, M., & Yaffe, B. (2017, May 9). /view/document/obo-9780199828340/obo-9780199828340-0151.xml . Retrieved from http://www.oxfordbibliographies.com: http://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780199828340/obo-9780199828340-0151.xml
