PSYCHOLOGY CORNER
PSYCHOSIS
By
AMY L. CHAVES
July 16, 1999
CONTEXT:
In
general the term psychosis is used to
refer to various forms of behavior involving loss of contact with reality.
In other words, a person showing psychotic behavior might have bizarre
thoughts and perceptions of what is happening.
This might involve delusions (false beliefs) or hallucinations (false
perceptions). The term psychotic
may also be used to refer to behavior that is so grossly disturbed that the
person seems to be out of control (Halgin, p. 33).
There are several differential diagnosis of psychotic disorders with
varied symptoms. The following are:
Psychotic Disorder Due to a General Medical Condition, i.e., when
the delusions or hallucinations are the direct physiological consequence of a
specific general condition (Cushing’s Syndrome, brain tumor); Substance-Induced
Psychotic Behavior, Substance-Induced
Delirium and Substance Intoxication (drug
abuse, a medication or exposure to a toxin).
There is also a Brief psychotic
Disorder as opposed to Schizophrenic
Disorder, Delusional Disorder, Mood Disorder with Psychotic Features or
Psychotic Disorders Not Otherwise Specified which may persist for a month or
longer (DSM-IV, pp. 302-305).
For this paper, I would like to focus on one psychotic disorder called
the Paranoid Type of Schizophrenia,
under the Schizophrenia Subtypes. Delusions or auditory hallucinations
characterize this disorder. Delusions are typically persecutory or grandiose, or both,
but delusions with other themes—jealousy, religiosity or somatization.
Associated features include anger, anxiety, aloofness, and argumentativeness which
may predispose the individual to violence.
EXPERIENCE:
My
experience with psychotic behavior happened 20 years ago. I can never forget the
woman who became mad. She lived in
the first floor of our house for a while,
to visit her cousin who was our boarder. At
first she seemed okay. But after a
few days, she became morose and withdrawn.
Then, she suddenly became hysterical one early morning, shouting
invectives to any one within sight. She
became violent—she would attack anyone who went near her.
She had grandiose claims—that she was the lover of Jesus Christ and
that we must pray for the end is near. She
was always clutching the rosary and the Bible during the whole bout of her
psychotic disorder. Her fits became
chronic until she was like a woman possessed.
Her cousin called a priest for exorcism but it did not work.
She would become livid with anger and later on she would cry in anguish.
Then she would become violent and throw things.
She would vomit and excrete in public.
Right now, if I were to diagnose her disorder, I would classify it as a
psychotic disorder, the paranoid type of schizophrenia.
During that time, around the mid-seventy, there was not much knowledge
about mental illness. If there
were, only a handful of psychiatrists might have been around.
Not much psychologists or counselors either.
The Philippine culture was more prone to believe in “barang.” So she was
thought to be a victim of “barang.”
Later on, when the quack doctor could not remove the evil spirits, she
was thought to have been the victim of the dweller
of our coconut tree, situated at that time in front of the house.
So there were vigils and offerings for some nights for the dweller of the coconut tree.
Her condition worsened and it came to the point that she had to be bound
and tied to the wall if not to a chair. She
would no longer eat. She could not
sleep. Sometimes she would become
catatonic—assuming only one posture for hours.
When she became delirious, she was finally brought home. Her family thought that their caimito
tree might be responsible for her condition.
They considered the caimito
tree as “tauhan.” (enchanted
dweller). She died a week after that.
REFLECTION:
When
I think about that woman who died without having been given the necessary
psychological or psychiatric treatment, I also think of many others who were in
similar condition like her. The naiveté or the lack of knowledge about mental illness or
personality disorder is a contributory factor in the incidence of mortality rate
of some Filipinos who are psychotic. More
than ever, our world has become complex, our relationships have become
perplexing and the stresses of our daily life are enough to shatter our mental
health if we are not watchful. More
than ever, we need to learn more about mental illness and its causes in order to
minimize its negative effects in our lives.
If
parents are well aware of the causes of mental illness and personality
disorders, they will be in a better position to raise their kids in a normal
way. Kids who grow up normal will
also become better parents, and so on.
With the problems we have on drugs nowadays, it will not be surprising if
more people become psychotics. That
is why I see the need to make Abnormal Psychology a basic subject requirement
for our college students, particularly the drug-induced psychosis, so students
will know more about the ill effects of drugs.
If only there are more Psychology subjects taught in high school and in
college, perhaps there will be a better way of dealing with our personal
problems and issues. I am not saying that Psychology subjects will eliminate the
problems but having more of it in our curriculum will surely ease the suffering
of the soul and spirit of some students. It
is not enough to have counselors. Sometimes,
it is better to lick our own wounds—to be our own healers.
To do that, we need to have ample knowledge about the nature of man, his
personality and the problems about the mind or the psyche.
ACTION:
Ever since I took up Psychology subjects last summer, I have incorporated
it in all of my various subjects in Philosophy.
I have incorporated it more in Ethics, making my students become aware
that to every action there is a ripple effect-—the more damaging the action,
the greater is its rippling damaging effects.
I have also discussed the psychological elements that accompany human
actions—the motivations, the rationalizations, and the excuses that muddle important
issues. So far, I think they appreciate the effort I give in making
them realize the ‘psychic’ component of human actions.
But that is not enough. There
should be more psychology subjects to be taught as electives in any area of
specialization. So if I am a Sociology major, I should be given
a Psychology elective which will help me understand why some people
behave differently in a society. In
my own experience as a former AB student in this university, I have never taken
a single Psychology subject because it was not a requirement.
There are important areas in Psychology which
could be connected to the various disciplines.
Therefore, I would like to recommend that Psychology subjects be part of all the various disciplines, like Philosophy and Religious Studies.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Halgin, Richard & Susan Krauss Whitbourne. ABNORMAL
PSYCHOLOGY: THE EXPERIENCE OF PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS.
Updated With DSM IV. Madison: Brown & Benchmark. 1993.
DSM-IV. 4th Ed.
American Psychiatric Association. 1994.
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http://amychaves.bizland.com/articles/psychosis.htm