Distinctive Features of Psychotic Disorders
Psychotic disorders are schizophrenia spectrum disorders.
And it is that among all the psychological disorders that exist, there are some that are capable of remove the person completely from the connection with reality and generate states of consciousness altered. These are psychotic disorders, in which people who suffer from it completely leave their personality to become a completely different individual.
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Main characteristics of psychotic disorders
Among the main characteristics of psychotic disorders we have delusions, hallucinations, disorganized thoughts, abnormal motor behavior and negative symptoms.
delusions
delusions are fixed and irrational beliefs that disturb the mind of people who suffer from it. There are different types of delusions such as:
- Persecutory delusions which refer to the belief that someone is stalking or watching you.
- Referential delusions: based on the belief that the gestures, comments or signals that a person exerts are dedicated to oneself.
- Delusions of grandeur: when a person believes that he has fame, wealth or certain exceptional virtues.
- Erotomanic delusions: when an individual mistakenly believes that another person is in love with him.
- Nihilistic delusions: they suppose the conviction that a catastrophe will soon happen.
- Somatic delusions: when a person believes that they are seriously ill without being so or that their organs are not working properly.
Delusions can be outlandish when lead us to believe in completely supernatural and impossible situations; or not extravagant, when it comes to things that can happen in life, but that are not happening at the moment. A delusion can be distinguished from a strong belief by the degree to which the belief is maintained after the individual obtains evidence confirming the irrationality of the belief.
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hallucinations
Hallucinations are perceptions of the individual which appear without the presence of any stimulus, these are quite clear, such as normal perceptions.
It should be noted that hallucinations are beyond the control of the person who suffers from them. Although hallucinations can occur in any sensory modality, auditory hallucinations are the most common among psychotic disorders.
In auditory hallucinations individuals may hearing voices that are perceived as outside of one's own thought. These hallucinations occur in an appropriate context of the level of consciousness, since those that occur during sleep are considered normal.
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disorganized thoughts
The concept of disorganized thoughts refers to when a person is unable to hold a coherent conversation. That is, the person usually answers the questions that are asked with a completely different topic than the one being treated. Or, the person can move from one topic to another that has nothing to do with the previous one, without any kind of warning. It can be quite difficult to carry on a conversation with a person suffering from this type of problem.
abnormal motor behavior
These can manifest in different ways, from involuntary agitation to maintaining a rigid posture.
negative symptoms
The negative symptoms of the most important psychotic disorders are decreased emotional expression, which refers to the decrease in the expression of emotions, and the abulia, which is a decrease in activities carried out on their own initiative. These two are mainly associated with schizophrenia.
Among the negative symptoms we also find alogia, which consists of the reduction of speech. Anhedonia, which is the decreased ability to experience pleasure. Asociality, which is the lack of interest in social interactions.
psychotic disorders
This is a brief summary of the psychotic disorders that exist.
1. Schizophreniform disorder
Has the same symptoms as schizophrenia, except for impaired functioning. In addition, this has a shorter duration than schizophrenia, since it lasts more than a day and remits over the course of a month.
2. Schizophrenia
It is characterized by a set of cognitive, behavioral, and emotional dysfunctions that extend for at least six months. In addition, the person lasts at least a month with the symptoms of the active phase.
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3. brief psychotic disorder
It is characterized by a disturbance in behavior that includes delusions, hallucinations, or disorganized speech.
4. Schizoaffective disorder
It is an interrupted period of illness through which the individual manifests manic depressive episodes.
- Related article: "Schizoaffective disorder: causes, symptoms and treatment"
5. Substance-Induced Psychotic Disorder
Refers to manifestations of delusions or hallucinations due to the effect of substancesbe it drugs or medication.
6. Psychotic disorders due to another medical condition
is the manifestation of delusions or hallucinations caused by the direct effects of a physical illness. According to the DSM-5, psychotic disorders are heterogeneous and the severity of symptoms can predict important aspects of these, such as the degree of cognitive or neurobiological deficits.
