“You either have it or you don’t”. This is something that I have heard which is simply not true. There is always a spectrum when it pertains towards mental health.
There is defintely a stigma when it comes to mental health and specifically with psychosis. Many people joke about being schizo or psychotic when they don’t actually understand what it’s like to have psychosis.
From a first hand perspective, I’ve had to deal with being looked at like a mad woman and being asked if I have any harmful thoughts towards myself of suicidal thoughts. It didn’t offend me because I knew that people had to be mindful that I could be feeling like that.
However I strongly feel like psychosis is misunderstood and it’s my duty to educate people on what it is.
Here are a few misconceptions about psychosis and here are the actual facts:
First of all, a misconception is that psychosis or schizophrenia means split personality, and there is no way to control it. First of all, schizophrenia and psychosis aren’t necessarily the same thing. Schizophrenia is a type of psychosis. In fact, the estimated 1% of the general population with schizophrenia have symptoms ranging from social withdrawal to hallucinations and delusions.
Another misconception is that children can’t get psychosis. If only this was true but unfortunately the sad reality is that children (under 16) can suffer from psychosis.
The most common age when symptoms of psychosis first begin is 18-24 years old, but can vary dependent on individual circumstances with the majority of cases first occurring between ages 13-30. Males tend to have earlier onset than females by an average of one or two years.
Another major assumption is that you have to be on drugs to suffer from psychosis. I can’t even count the amount of times that I’ve been asked whether I have psychosis because I smoke or drink.
The use of street drugs may trigger psychosis in some individuals who are at risk for developing psychosis. However there is a significant percentage of people who suffer from psychosis who don’t take any drugs or drink alcohol.
Furthermore, many people think that once you have psychosis, there is no turning back. That is incorrect as you can heal from psychosis if it is diagnosed in the early stages. So if you know someone who has psychosis or you have it yourself, know that your case is not hopeless.
The final misconception that really get’s to me is that psychosis can be ‘willed away’ or ‘prayed away’ and if someone uses treatment, they have in some way ‘failed’ or are weak.
A serious mental illness like psychosis cannot simply be willed away. Don’t get me wrong, I am definitely an advocate for the power of prayer and I believe that prayer works. However, I think it is quite narrow minded to believe that God is limited and cannot use other things as well as prayer to help you in every situation.
For example, if you had a flu, you have the option of praying, going to the doctors, or using natural remedies such as lemon and honey. Some may think that you can only use one option at a time however an open-minded person would know that God can work through all those options to heal them. Yes, God can even work through the doctor to heal you.
What would not be wise is to go to the doctor and use the natural remedies but not pray. Prayer is a way of directly communicating with the God who created the doctor and created the natural remedies so not speaking to Him is like believing that you can heal all by yourself without His providence.
So back to the topic of psychosis, it is possible to see a psychiatrist and still be a devout believer in God. It takes courage to seek professional help. Being treated for psychosis does not mean an individual has in some way ‘failed’ or is weak.
There are many more misconceptions about psychosis but I hope that you have understood that it is important to know the facts before you make assumptions based on the name of a disorder or the rumours that you have heard about the disorder.
I hope you found this blarticle (blog/article) helpful and stay tuned for similar posts.
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