Brief Introduction to Psychotic Disorders

Psychotic disorders, like schizophrenia, are a group of serious illnesses that have impact on mind. These diseases change a person's ability to think clearly, make good judgments, respond psychologically, communicate effectively, understand reality, and act appropriately. When signs are serious, people with psychotic conditions have problems staying in touch with reality and often are unable to fulfill the common requirements of daily life. However, even the most severe psychotic disorders usually are curable.

There are different types of psychotic conditionds, including:

Brief psychotic disorder: People with this illness have rapid, short periods of psychotic behavior, often in reaction to a very traumatic occasion, such as a death in the family. Recovery is often quick -- usually less than 30 days.Shared psychotic disorder: This condition happens when an individual produces delusions in the perspective of a connection with another individual who already has his or her own delusion(s).Psychotic disorder due to a medical condition: Hallucinations, delusions, or other signs may be the result of another illness that impacts on brain functioning, such as a head injury or brain tumor.Schizophreniform disorder: People with this illness have symptoms of schizophrenia, but the symptoms last between one and six months.Schizophrenia: People with this disorder have changes in behavior and other symptoms -- such as delusions and hallucinations -- that last longer than six months, usually with a decrease in work, school, and social functioning.Delusional disorder: People with this illness have delusions including real-life situations that could be true, such as being followed, being conspired against, or having a disease. These delusions stick up for at least one month.Schizoaffective disorder: People with this illness have warning signs of both schizophrenia and a mood disorder, such as depression or bipolar disorder (bpd).Substance-induced psychotic disorder: This condition is caused by the use of or drawback from some substances, such as alcohol and drugs, that may cause hallucinations, delusions, or confused conversation.Paraphrenia: This is a type of schizophrenia that starts late in life and mostly happens in the elderly population.

Symptoms of Psychotic Disorder:

Symptoms of a psychotic disorder differ from person to person and may change over time. The major symptoms are hallucinations and delusions.

Hallucinations are unusual neurological experiences or views of things that aren't actually present, such as seeing things that aren't there, hearing voices, sensing odors, having a "funny" flavor in the oral cavity area, and feeling sensations on your skin even though nothing is in contact with your body.

Delusions are false beliefs that are chronic and structured, and that do not go away after receiving logical or precise information. For example, a person who is certain with his or her food is poisoned, even if it has been proven that the food is fine, then he is suffering from a delusion.

Other possible symptoms of psychotic illnesses include:

Confused thinkingStrange,possibly dangerous behaviorLoss of interest in activitiesProblems at school or work and with relationshipsCold, detached manner with the inability to express emotionMood swings or other mood symptoms, such as depression or mania

Causes of Psychotic Disorders:

The actual cause of psychotic conditions is not known, but scientists believe that many aspects may be a factor. Some psychotic conditions usually run in family members, indicating that the tendency, to create the problem may be inherited. Ecological aspects may also be a factor in their growth, such as pressure, substance misuse, and significant lifestyle changes.

In addition, people with certain psychotic disorders may have an imbalance of certain chemicals in the mind. They may be either very delicate to or generate too much of a chemical substance called dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter, a natural substance that helps nerve cells in the brain deliver information to each other. An imbalance of dopamine affects the way the brain reacts to certain stimulating elements, such as sounds, smells, and sights, and can lead to hallucinations and delusions.

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Rekha Reddy S has published 40 articles. Article submitted on November 26, 2012. Word count: 628