Brief Psychotic Disorder

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW:

• Brief psychotic disorder is a mental illness in which you have psychotic (loss of reality) symptoms. You may not know what is real and what is not real. Symptoms of a brief psychotic disorder come on suddenly and last for one month or less. You will return to your normal state of mind once the symptoms are gone. It may or may not be related to a major stress in your life. Brief psychotic disorder may happen after the loss of a loved one or after a mental trauma. It may also appear within four weeks of giving birth to your baby. You may become very mean and be at risk of hurting yourself or others.
  
  
• The cause of having a brief psychotic disorder is not clear. Caregivers feel it may be caused by problems with how your brain works. Causes may include genetics or having family members with the same condition. It may also be caused by stress or an increase in the brain chemical dopamine. Your caregiver will look for any psychotic symptoms present for at least one day but less than one month. Treatment may include medicines for psychosis, depression, side effects, mood, and special forms of therapy.

CARE AGREEMENT:

You have the right to help plan your care. Learn about your health condition and how it may be treated. Discuss treatment options with your caregivers to decide what care you want to receive. You always have the right to refuse treatment.

RISKS:

• Medicines used to treat brief psychotic disorder may cause an allergic response. Some medicines may take a few weeks to work. Others may change the way you eat and sleep, cause weight gain, and make you anxious. Changes in your sleep and eating may cause other problems and medical conditions. You may have eye and movement problems from certain medicines. You may also feel shaky, dizzy, or have sexual problems because of the medicines.
  
  
• If your brief psychotic disorder is left untreated, your condition may get worse. It may affect the way you think of yourself and how you get along with others. Your condition may make it hard for you to do your normal activities. You may become depressed (feel deep sadness) or start to abuse alcohol or drugs. You may have thoughts of hurting or killing yourself or others. Call your caregiver if you are worried or have questions about your condition, treatment, or care.

WHILE YOU ARE HERE:

Informed consent:

A consent form is a legal document that explains the tests, treatments, or procedures that you may need. Informed consent means you understand what will be done and can make decisions about what you want. You give your permission when you sign the consent form. You can have someone sign this form for you if you are not able to sign it. You have the right to understand your medical care in words you know. Before you sign the consent form, understand the risks and benefits of what will be done. Make sure all your questions are answered.

IV:

An IV (intravenous) is a small tube placed in your vein that is used to give you medicine or liquids.

Psychiatric assessment:

Caregivers will ask if you have a history of psychological trauma, such as physical, sexual, or mental abuse. They will ask if you were given the care that you needed. Caregivers will ask you if you have been a victim of a crime or natural disaster, or if you have a serious injury or disease. They will ask you if you have seen other people being harmed, such as in combat. You will be asked if you drink alcohol or use drugs at present or in the past. Caregivers will ask you if you want to hurt or kill yourself or others. How you answer these questions can help caregivers decide on treatment. To help during treatment, caregivers will ask you about such things as how you feel about it and your hobbies and goals. Caregivers will also ask you about the people in your life who support you.

Monitoring:

You may need any of the following:

• Body weight: Treatments may change how much you eat or drink. Your caregiver may want to check your weight often to see if your new medicines are causing any changes.
  
  
• Intake and output: Caregivers will keep track of the amount of liquid you are getting. They also may need to know how much you are urinating. Ask how much liquid you should drink each day. Ask caregivers if they need to measure or collect your urine.
  
  
• Vital signs: Caregivers will check your blood pressure, heart rate, breathing rate, and temperature. They will also ask about your pain. These vital signs give caregivers information about your current health.

Medicines:

You may be given the following medicines:

• Antianxiety medicine: This medicine may be given to decrease anxiety and help you feel calm and relaxed.
  
  
• Anti-depressants: These medicines are given to decrease or stop the symptoms of depression. Other behavior problems may also be treated with anti-depressants.
  
  
• Anti-Parkinson: These medicines are also sometimes called side-effect pills. These may be given to control muscle stiffness, twitching, and shaking caused by anti-psychotic medicines.
  
  
• Anti-psychotics: These may be given to help decrease psychotic symptoms or severe agitation (very tense and unable to relax). These medicines may also help stop your symptoms from coming back. Anti-psychotics may cause problems with how your body moves.
  
  
• Mood stabilizers: These medicines help control quick changes in your mood that happen for no reason.
  
  
• Sedative: This medicine is given to help you stay calm and relaxed.

Treatment options:

• Cognitive behavior therapy: This therapy may help you to change your behavior. You may learn how to cope with your symptoms such as hallucinations and delusions.
  
  
• Compliance therapy: This therapy looks at why you would not want to take your medicine or see your caregiver. Your caregiver will help you find ways to make it easier to do your treatments. You may be taught about your medicine and why you need to take your medicine on time. You may also get telephone calls and letters to help you remember your scheduled visits with your caregiver.
  
  
• Family interventions: These visits let your family be part of your therapy. Meetings are set by your caregiver with your family. These may be done with all of your family together or with one person at a time. In these meetings your family learns about your condition, and they can talk about their concerns. Your family may learn ways they can help you manage your disease. They may also be given special training to help them cope and handle your condition.
  
  
• Video recorded self-observation: Recording your behavior allows you to see yourself as others see you. This may help you be more aware of how you act and help you understand your illness better.

Restraints for behavior management:

There are two types of restraints that may be used while you are in the hospital. They will only be used if caregivers feel you are in danger of hurting yourself or others. Physical restraints, such as cloth or leather bands, may be put on your wrists or ankles and tied to something else. Other things will be tried first before using physical restraints, such as going into the quiet room or seclusion. Caregivers may use "chemical" restraints, which is medicine used to help you calm down and relax. Restraints should never be used to punish you.

Seclusion:

This happens when you are locked in a safe room because your behavior is out of control. The door will stay locked so you cannot leave the room. Caregivers will watch you while you are in seclusion to make sure you stay safe. You may come out of seclusion when your caregivers feel you will not hurt yourself or others.

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The above information is an educational aid only. It is not intended as medical advice for individual conditions or treatments. Talk to your doctor, nurse or pharmacist before following any medical regimen to see if it is safe and effective for you.

Learn more about Brief Psychotic Disorder (Inpatient Care)