Brief Psychotic Disorder

GENERAL INFORMATION:

What is it? Brief psychotic (si-kah-tik) disorder is also known as brief reactive psychosis (si-ko-sis). It is a short-term mental illness. This illness makes it hard for you to know what is real and what is not real. Brief psychotic disorder changes how you think, act, or talk with others.

Causes: Brief psychosis is usually caused by a very stressful event, such as a death. Fighting in a war, being attacked, or being raped, are also causes. You are more likely to have this disorder if you have another mental illness. Some women may have a brief psychosis after having a baby.

Signs and Symptoms: This illness usually begins quickly and can be gone in less than 1 week. You may have changes in your eating or sleeping habits, energy level, or weight. You may feel confused, not think clearly, or not be able to make decisions. People close to you may see changes before you are aware of them.

• You may hear, see, or feel things that are not there. This is called hallucinating (huh-lew-sin-a-ting). You may also believe things to be true that are not true. These false beliefs are called delusions (duh-lew-zhuns). Brief psychotic disorder sometimes affects how you think and what you say to others. Sometimes your ideas and thoughts may not make sense.
  
  
• Normal activities like work or school may not interest you. You may want to be alone, or not care for yourself or your home. Brief psychotic disorder may affect how you act. Sometimes you may have a lot of energy. Or, you may not feel like doing anything.
  
  
• Another sign of brief psychotic disorder is how you show your feelings. You may show no emotion, which is called having a flat affect. You may do things others think are unusual. You may dress in a strange way. You may be very excited for no obvious reason. Or, your emotions may not match the event. For example, you may laugh at bad news. You may also have thoughts about hurting yourself or others.

Care: At first, you may be seen in a clinic or your caregiver's office. You and family members may have meetings with your caregiver. These meetings can help you and family members understand brief psychotic disorder. Caregivers will ask you and your family questions about how you feel now. You may also be asked how you have felt in the past. Caregivers will help you talk about your feelings and teach you the best way to care for yourself. Medicine may be used to treat your illness. You may need to go to the hospital for other tests and treatment.

Coping: Accepting that you have brief psychotic disorder is hard. You and those close to you may feel angry, sad, or frightened. These are normal feelings. Talk to your caregivers, family, and friends about your feelings. Write down questions you have about brief psychotic disorder and how it is treated. This way you will be able to ask them during your next visit to the caregiver.

• You may also want to join a support group. This is a group of people who also have brief psychotic disorder. Ask your caregiver for the names and numbers of support groups in your town.
  
  
• Ask your health care provider if they know about books that you can read. Reading about your illness might help you better understand it. You can also call or write one of the following national organizations for more information.

• National Alliance for the Mentally Ill
  Colonial Place Three, 2107 Wilson Blvd, Suite 300
  Arlington, VA 22201
  Phone: 1-703-524-7600
  Phone: 1-800-950-6264
  Web Address: http://www.nami.org
  

• National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), Public Information & Communication Branch
  6001 Executive Boulevard, Room 8184, MSC 9663
  Bethesda, MD 20892-9663
  Phone: 1-301-443-4513
  Phone: 1-866-615-6464
  Web Address: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/
  

CARE AGREEMENT:

You have the right to help plan your care. To help with this plan, you must learn about your health condition and how it may be treated. You can then discuss treatment options with your caregivers. Work with them to decide what care may be used to treat you. You always have the right to refuse treatment.

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