Feb 27 2009
Psychosis
A Disturbing Symptom of Bipolar Disorder
http://beingbipolar.today.com/2008/11/22/psychosis-a-disturbing-symptom-of-bipolar-disorder/
Psychosis is defined as a loss of contact with reality. Persons suffering from psychosis are said to be psychotic. A person with Bipolar Disorder who has a psychotic episode is categorized as having Bipolar I.
A psychotic episode can have one or more of the following symptoms:
- Hallucinations
- Delusions
- Thought disorder
- Lack of insight
Many people are confused about what is considered a hallucination. Most people think it just means “seeing things”. This is hardly the case. Hallucinations can involve any of the five senses. It is entirely possible for a person to imagine a smell, a taste, or a touch in addition to seeing or hearing things that do not exist. It can range from very simple things such as smelling a strange perfume to something as complex as seeing a person spraying perfume and hearing the sound the bottle makes when it is sprayed. Audible hallucinations (hearing things) can range from hearing a mumbling that you don’t understand to having a conversation with a voice.
Psychosis may also involve delusional beliefs. These could quite possibly be paranoid in nature. It’s quite common for a psychotic person to feel like the world is out to get them.
Thought disorder appears in speech and writing. It can become so severe that words may be spoken or written in a manner that makes no sense whatsoever.
A lack of insight is when a person has no idea that they are hallucinating or delusional. At this stage, a person is very disconnected from reality and is incapable of realizing the difference between what is real and what is not.
Psychosis can be deeply disturbing. I have had hallucinations ranging from being pleasant, such as smelling my favorite food, to being horrific, such as seeing myself jump off a bridge and being able to feel when I hit the water.
