Other Psychosis from trauma

[Beebee]

Does anyone here has a psychotic disorder from trauma?

My psychosis is trauma-related to the point I have always considered it like a psychotic type of PTSD or something between a psychotic disorder and dissociative disorder -I have a lot of dissociative symptoms-.

I am reading this book.
Psychosis, Trauma, Dissociation Perspectives Psychopathology

I can't post links yet but there is a paper called
'The Contribution of Early Traumatic Events
to Schizophrenia in Some Patients:
A Traumagenic Neurodevelopmental Model'

you can google.

 

[joeylittle]

Here's the link - Link Removed

Psychosis can be a symptom of PTSD - I've read in a few different places, people making the case for there to be an additional sub-type of PTSD, which would be PTSD with psychosis. PTSD, dissociative subtype, was new to the DSM as of v5

You might also find this one interesting: [Psychosis and trauma. Theorical links between post-traumatic and psychotic symptoms]. - PubMed - NCBI
And this: Theories on the overlap of PTSD with Schizophrenia
And, here's some great writing on the dissociative subtype of PTSD: http://www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/newsletters/research-quarterly/v24n4.pdf

I know we have some members who have experienced psychosis in their symptoms - hopefully, they will come around to comment.

 

[sedna]

Does anyone here has a psychotic disorder from trauma?

My psychosis is trauma-related to the poi...

Hi Beebee, I really suggest you to be careful reading up on disorders in those categories and self diagnosing. Even if a psychiatrist has said you were psychotic at some point or referred to disassociation as psychosis, it's in a context that's a little different. Mostly it means your psychiatrist is inarticulate because there are about 50 other ways to discuss that symptom.

When you get into ' Psychopathology ' as reading material keep in mind that organic mental health issues and trauma related reality disturbances are differential diagnosis. I've never met a psychiatrist that didnt diagnose himself with personality disorders in college, or a medical doctor that wasnt convinced he was dying of something during med school. Just keep that in mind.

 

[Friday]

In psych, all roads lead to psychosis.

((Well. Almost all roads. There are only a handful of disorders which don't include psychosis as a possible symptom, because their other symptom don't include psychosis as a possible extreme expression or side effect. Think Autism, ADHD, Dyslexia, & a few others.))

PTSD has a whole lot of symptoms that can domino very quickly into psychosis. Just as an example; plain old boring anxiety ;) can make people stop eating, or stop sleeping. Don't eat? Delusions, hallucinations, &'psychosis. Don't sleep? Delusions, hallucinations, psychosis. And that's just one symptom's side effects.

But here's the rub; all those symptoms that can side effect or max out into psychosis? Are shared by other disorders.

And then? There are also OTHER disorders a person can get from trauma.

And there are other causes of psychosis that aren't shared with PTSD.

Sorting out what's what is why people go to school for a decade or longer in order to be able to diagnose. The DSM is very much like a whole series of spiderwebs, with all kinds of cross over between disorders... Or maybe a better visual is a deck of cards. Grab one out & it's a 2! Okay. A 2 of what? Red or black? Hearts, diamonds, spades, or clubs? Does it matter? Depends on the game you're playing. What's its value? Also depends on the game you're playing. High, low, trump, reserve, wild? Depends on the game you're playing. What's the probability you'll draw a 2? A red 2? A 2 of diamonds? All depends on the game, the rules, and the deck.

***

So when you ask about PTSD psychosis... & then transition into psychotic disorders resulting from trauma... And then reference how trauma affects psychosis in schizophrenia?

It's like you're dealing me in for a game of poker, using a pinochle deck, and playing by Go Fish rules. :confused:

Trauma is one thing. (Event)
PTSD is one thing. (Disorder)
Schizophrenia is one thing. (Disorder)
Psychosis is one thing. (Symptom)

 

[Beebee]

Even if a psychiatrist has said you were psychotic at some point or referred to disassociation as psychosis, it's in a context that's a little different. Mostly it means your psychiatrist is inarticulate because there are about 50 other ways to discuss that symptom.

When you get into ' Psychopathology ' as reading material keep in mind that organic mental health issues and trauma related reality disturbances are differential diagnosis. I've never met a psychiatrist that didnt diagnose himself with personality disorders in college, or a medical doctor that wasnt convinced he was dying of something during med school. Just keep that in mind.

I am diagnosed with a psychotic disorder, by a psychiatrist. Some -not all- of the psychosis is related to trauma, and consdering how I developed it, I think trauma was what triggered it. He said the diagnosis wasn't really accurate but was the most -I have some symptoms of PTSD, dissociative disorder and BPD, but not enough-.

The only thing I can say beyond my diagnosis is I can relate much more with what I read here than
anywhere else.

So when you ask about PTSD psychosis... & then transition into psychotic disorders resulting from trauma... And then reference how trauma affects psychosis in schizophrenia?

It's like you're dealing me in for a game of poker, using a pinochle deck, and playing by Go Fish rules.

Trauma is one thing. (Event)
PTSD is one thing. (Disorder)
Schizophrenia is one thing. (Disorder)
Psychosis is one thing. (Symptom)

Well, schizophrenia is a psychotic disorder. I like that link because it goes beyond the dopaminergic-glutamatergic therory.

I know some people have PTSD with psychotic symptoms without having a psychotic disorder.
I know some people have a dissociatve disorder with psychotic symptoms without having a psychotic disorder.
I know some people have BPD with psychotic symptoms without having a psychotic disorder.

It's easy to find information about this, but what about a psychotic disorder developed from traumatic events? Or better, what if the main symptom from trauma is psychosis?

I don't care too much about the label because I don't like DSM... I am sorry if this was confusing.

+I know not all people with a psychotic disorder have an history of trauma as well as not all people with BPD does.+

Here's the link

Psychosis can be a symptom of PTSD - I've read in a few different places, people making the case for there to be an additional sub-type of PTSD, which would be PTSD with psychosis. PTSD, dissociative subtype, was new to the DSM as of v5

...

Thank you,
I didn't know some of the links.

 

[joeylittle]

Or better, what if the main symptom from trauma is psychosis?

I'm not sure that one works; but I'm only saying that because generally, there will be a short list of primary symptoms; so, this is semantics, but there won't be one main symptom, there will be (probably) at least 3 'main' symptoms, from a menu.

(Thats totally based on how the DSM and ICD do diagnosis, and I know you said you weren't using the lens of the DSM, so I hope I'm not derailing your train of thought).

I'm curious - psychosis itself takes many forms. When you were diagnosed with it, what were/are the main ways it manifests for you?

 

[Beebee]

I'm not sure that one works; but I'm only saying that because generally, there will be a short list of primary symptoms; so, this is semantics, but there won't be one main symptom, there will be (probably) at least 3 'main' symptoms, from a menu.

Ohm, you are right.

I'm curious - psychosis itself takes many forms. When you were diagnosed with it, what were/are the main ways it manifests for you?

Hallucinations -voices-, delusional thinking -about reality being fake- and a lot of negative symptoms -anhedonia, avolition, asociality, blunted affect, alogia, tangentiality, palilalia, ...-.

 

[joeylittle]

Hallucinations -voices-,

Talking to you from inside your head or outside your head? And replaying things you've heard (recognizable voice and content), or telling you new things?
(you don't have to answer these questions, it's just an area of mental health I'm interested in. I won't be offended if you don't answer)

 

[Beebee]

Talking to you from inside your head or outside your head? And replaying things you've heard (recognizable voice and content), or telling you new things?
(you don't have to answer these questions, it's just an area of mental health I'm interested in. I won't be offended if you don't answer)

Inside and outside, and both things I have heard and new things.

I had narrators, voices that commented what I did, voices that said what I was thinking, voices that replayed something someone told me, ...

 

[Femke]

Yes, me!

I have always functioned well. Until I went through a traumatic period as an adult. In short: abusive/psychopathic ex, getting pregnant unplanned, discovering my ex was a threat to my son, fighting in court for 2 years to keep him away from my son, while CPS was trying hard to cover up the abuse and force me to work along with visitation, while off-the-record experts admitted he was a severe threat to my son.

I first had only lots of ptsd symptoms, with severe anxiety, heavy dissociation, re-experiencing, nightmares and hypervigilance. Like you, I was and am very much prone to dissociation. Was prescribed antipsychotics and benzo's. Withdrawals and stress about the court situation led to psychotic disorder. When not on meds I have severe psychotic symptoms now, mainly delusions and extreme guilt and fear. When on meds I have negative side effects (anhedonia, depression, etc) and PTSD symptoms.

I've had several different diagnoses in the past. Now it's PTSD + psychotic disorder NOS. In my country there is a psychiatrist specialized on "PTSD with secundary psychotic features" that I am planning to see. He proposes this as a separate type of PTSD, as is also written above. I've read somewhere that 52% of people with PTSD has some psychotic symptoms! I've also read (Dutch) texts about PTSD with sec. psychotic features. They say the symptoms are slightly different from schizophrenia. A major difference is f.e. that psychotic themes are not random and bizar, but closely related to the trauma.

In my case, they want to send me now to an intensive inpatient PTSD program with lots of exposure therapy and EMDR. We hope that relieving the PTSD will also help the psychosis symptoms.

Hope you found a good way of dealing with this... what have you done to heal?

.

 

[Beebee]

Thank you for answering.

I hope the intensive inpatient PTSD program works for you. I am not doing anything important to heal since I can't afford a private therapist and right now I don't have any treatment.