Psychosis

[bluebella83]

I have been experiencing psychosis. I hear voices in my mind and cant understand what they are saying but it is frightening and i feel like I am losing my mind.

[Hidden]

Hi. Well lets just think for a minute. Psychosis is more than just hearing voices. It is about being detached from reality - a distorted reality if you like - it also includes fairly radical personality changes, delusions and hallucinations. Under the umbrella of psychosis comes disorders like schizophrenia, schizoid personality disorder, delusional disorder, brief psychotic disorder and so on. Hearing voices can have either a mental or physical cause - and so obviously it is important to find out which it is.

What I am saying is - dont get too upset or depressed about his situation - you need to get medical input to discover the reason behind the problem. It may be a transitory thing - it may be as a result of health anxiety even. My advice is to consult your doctor when you can - you did not say how long you have been hearing the voices - so maybe give it until tomorrow and if they are not gone then seek medical advice. But if it gets too much for you then go to, or call, your local hospital and ask for some help there. In the meantime try to relax - find something that will occupy your mind as a distraction technique. I hope that everything turns out well for you.

[bluebella83 in reply to Hidden]

Thanks for your reply Karl. I have been hearing voices on and off for 12 months and have had anxiety for 12 months. I have suffered with depression for 17 years. I have seen a psychiatrist and he discharged me after one visit he said i needed counselling but I found counselling did not help. I am struggling to get my mood back up, I just feel low all the time.

I am due to see my doctor in a weeks time I will ask to be re-referred to see a psychiatrist.

[Hidden in reply to bluebella83]

Hi. There is a very big difference between a counsellor and a therapist. (A therapist spends at least 7 years training for a professional qualification in a specialised field.) Perhaps that is why you did not find it useful to see a counsellor. It might also be that you need some medication help at the moment. The psychiatrist who referred you for 'counselling' obviously believed that your issues are emotion based rather than physical based. Indeed the majority of anxiety issues are emotional/mental rather than physical in origin. Perhaps your doctor can prescribe some medication for a short period and also refer you for therapy at the same time.

[bluebella83 in reply to Hidden]

I am on Amitriptyline 20mg a night. I have tried many anti-depressants over the years, most of which make me worse. I take Propranolol for anxiety symptoms.

The doctor seems to think I suffered PTSD last year which has triggered the anxiety.

[Hidden in reply to bluebella83]

Even more reason for taking the therapy road then.

[Hidden]

If possible, please let us know how you get on. Thank you

Karl x

[bluebella83]

Yes I definitely will x

[goldfishpainter]

Yay, Psychosis! It sucks, man. I have bipolar II with several complicating features, including psychosis. I also have an anxiety diagnosis. I have hallucinated very heavily at times over the last 10 years. I always come back. Most people do, as long as they are still alive. So if you do "lose your mind", it is most likely very temporary. You will always come back to yourself. If you feel like you're going to lose the ability to care for yourself temporarily, PLEASE let your support system(whoever is around you at the time will work) know, so that they can make sure you are safe, and you can take the burden of trying to keep yourself safe off of yourself.