Psychosis and Mood
“Psychotic symptoms were some of the scariest parts of my mood disorder. At first, I didn’t talk about them, but I realized in order to get well I needed help with this too. Telling my doctor about the strange things I was experiencing was the best thing I did for my own health.”
Hearing voices and seeing things that other’s don’t.
Feeling suspicious and paranoid.
Feeling and behaving in ways that are not yourself.
Having difficulty thinking and organizing your thoughts
If you have depression or bipolar disorder and are experiencing some of these symptoms, it is important to tell your doctor about them. While not common, psychotic symptoms can be a part of a number of mental illnesses.
It is in the normal range of human experience to have symptoms such as hearing voices or having visual hallucinations very occasionally, especially on the edge of sleep or waking, or if you have not slept or eaten for a long time. However, if you have these types of symptoms often or persistently, then it’s time to talk to your doctor.
While schizophrenia is commonly thought of as the main mental illness that has psychotic symptoms, there are several mental illnesses that can have psychotic symptoms associated with them. This is not surprising, as these illnesses tend to be connected to similar types of problems in the brain.
Bipolar disorder
In bipolar disorder, psychotic symptoms tend to fit in with the person’s mood. For example a person who is depressed might hear voices telling them to kill themself, or a person with mania might believe they have special supernatural powers.
Schizoaffective disorder
A person with this disorder has both a mood disorder and psychosis, and the voices, hallucinations or false beliefs are more independent of what is going on with their mood, and may be present even if their mood is stable.
Depression and Post Partum Depression
A person who is depressed may hear voices telling them things that go with the depression. (Post partum depression is depression that sometimes happens to women who have recently given birth.)
How to Manage Symptoms
If you are already receiving treatment for your mood disorder, speaking to your doctor or care team about these experiences is a good place to start. Your medications may have to be adjusted to deal with these symptoms as well.
Cognitive behavioural therapy has been demonstrated to have good results with psychosis symptoms when combined with medication.
Many street drugs such as crystal meth (methamphetamine) and cannabis (marijuana) have been shown to increase psychotic symptoms. These drugs do no-one’s brain any good, but if you have experienced psychotic symptoms it is particularly important to avoid these drugs.
For more information
BC Schizophrenia Society—www.bcss.org Information on psychosis and information for families.
Early Psychosis Intervention Information www.psychosissucks.ca
Psychosis and Mood (printable pdf format document)
