What happens in a psychotic episode?

Have you ever felt like reality is slipping away from you? Well, that’s the least of your worries if you enter into a psychotic episode. Not to scare you or anything (sorry not sorry), but it can be one heck of an experience. Here’s what happens during a psychotic episode.

First Things First: What Is Psychosis?

Before we delve into the juicy details about what goes on during a psychotic episode, let’s first get familiar with psychosis itself (see what I did there?).

Psychosis is basically when your brain starts acting wonky and makes it hard for you to distinguish between reality and fantasy. It’s like having Alice in Wonderland syndrome without actually being Alice or even wanting to escape Wonderland.

In simpler terms, think of it as the ultimate mind-bender where actions and thoughts aren’t necessarily rooted in logic anymore (mind-bending sausage anyone?).

The Prelude

Usually before someone enters into full-blown psychosis, they may experience some warning signs such as:

  • Social withdrawal,
  • sudden mood swings,
  • difficulty sleeping or sleeping too much,
  • paranoia (e.g., feeling like someone’s out to get them),
  • delusions (false beliefs), etc.

Don’t panic yet though! These symptoms don’t always lead straight into psychosis. In fact sometimes they just come and go without any consequences at all (phew!).

The Grand Entrance

But when these symptoms start intensifying over time, then buckle up my friend – because things are about to get interesting…

When someone finally hits full-blown psychosis, their perception of reality will have shifted dramatically (source). Life becomes less “life-like” if that makes sense. Their emotions might be super intense; anxiety through the roof and so many hallucinations that should have stayed tucked somewhere deep down under.
One moment they might be paranoid and hiding under the bed while the next moment, they’re building a nest out of cereal boxes!

The Hallucinations

Ah! (cue dramatic music). Let’s talk about hallucinations. Now, most people immediately think that these are just seeing things that aren’t there but it can also refer to hearing, feeling or even smelling things that aren’t real either (source).

Oh boy, what fun this is – imagine having countless teensy-weensie demons cheerfully chanting “kill kill kill” in your ears.

Or how about suddenly feeling bugs crawling all over you, when there really aren’t any? Talk about nerve-wracking (the joys of psychosis!)

The Delusions

Now delusions…well let’s just say they make hallucinations look like child’s play in comparison.

With delusions (meaning false beliefs) our brain pretty much decides to go rogue: “What if I told you,” it whispers slyly “that everyone on earth except for you were actually robots created by aliens?” “Sounds legit”, we reply as our grasp on reality slowly fades away…

People with psychosis may have different types of delusions – this can range from believing someone who isn’t talking is a CIA agent trying to harm them; or simply believing that their taxi driver has been an angel in disguise all along; or worse yet…thinking their neighbour sprinkles magic dust over their garden at night (oh dear…) .

Issues With Thinking And Emotions

Apart from the obvious issue of losing touch with reality altogether, those experiencing psychosis often find themselves struggling with cognitive functions such as making decisions and remembering what day today is (pretty tough gig right?)

Emotions may also become heightened — intense feelings such as happiness, anger & sadness could each last longer than usual which makes for some interesting mood swings throughout nearly every part of the day…

And let’s not forget that, all these symptoms aren’t just temporary. Psychosis can last for several weeks or even months so it’s important to seek help as early as possible.

The Aftermath

If you do successfully make your out of the psychotic episode (which might involve a visit to rehab)… don’t expect everything to go back to “normal” overnight.

You’re going need ample time, patience and support from family members & friends before everything becomes hunky-dory once again – but eventually things will get better (I promise).

Summing Up… (Phew!)

To summarize: psychosis essentially messes with our brains in every way imaginable! It can happen relatively quickly or come on slowly over time; triggering changes into how we perceive reality, making normal life pretty much impossible!

The key thing though? Recognizing warning signs such as withdrawal; mood swings etc could lead down a potentially dangerous path if left unchecked .

So there you have it folks – now I hope this article has taught you a bit more about what happens during psychotic episodes (I sincerely hope).

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