Navigating Psychosis

There’s a lot of hardships for people who experience psychosis. For starters, there’s the stigma; when we hear the news, we see people insult others by saying “she’s psychotic” or “he’s crazy”. When we watch shows involving asylums, when we first look inside, we’ll find someone experiencing psychosis, with artists parading them around as though they’re someone to be laughed at or pitied, rather than to be treated as a human. 

I currently work for an organization that treats individuals with early onset psychosis (meaning the symptoms have started when the individual was around 15-30). This includes diagnoses such as schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, bipolar disorder with psychotic features, ect. Most of the people I see are young adults, those who are just starting their lives and are struggling to find footing. I’ll admit, when I first started working in this program, I was nervous. From my experiences as a case manager, I knew somewhat about how to work with people with psychosis, but I didn’t have a good understanding of it. My boss recommended that I read The First Episode of Psychosis by Michael T. Comptom and Beth Broussard. 

And I loved it.

Honestly, I would recommend this title for anyone diagnosed with a mental illness that has psychotic features, or even just for caregivers or curious mental health professionals. Although the book reminds us that it’s important to treat the person holistically, the authors go in depth into each treatment option. They list out the importance of having social supports, like family and friends, the right medications, and different psychoeducational rehabs and skills trainings that your loved one may experience. Personally, I found the medications particularly; while I have common brand names memorized, I’m sorely lacking on knowledge for anti-psychotics. 

I feel like this book could also pair well with memoirs regarding schizophrenia, such as Recovered but not Cured by Richard McLean and The Quiet Room: A Journey out of the Torment of Madness by Lori Schiller and Amanda Bennett. It could provide a structure for providers who are interested in serving this resilient population.