|
Psychotic Depression
Psychotic depression is a condition in which people who suffer
from major depression also suffer from a combination of delusional thinking and
auditory and visual hallucinations. It is estimated that 25% of the people who
are admitted to a hospital for depression also suffer from psychotic depression.
The psychosis of psychotic depression can cause its sufferers to become paranoid
and believe that others are controlling or listening to their thoughts. They can
begin to lose touch with reality as their hallucinations and delusions grow.
They begin to believe the thoughts or voices they hear criticizing them and
putting them down. The paranoia and imagined thoughts and voices only make the
depression side of the equation worse. A psychotic depressive has a very high
risk of suicide because many times the voices they hear lead them down that
path, telling them they don’t deserve to live and should kill themselves.
The delusions and hallucinations associated with psychotic depression are much
like those suffered by people with other mental illnesses such as schizophrenia.
The difference is that many people who suffer psychotic depression are aware
that the thoughts aren’t true or that they are imagining them. A schizophrenic
on the other hand does not understand this and believes their delusional
thinking to be true. The psychotic depressive can be ashamed or embarrassed by
these hallucinations and may try to hide what is happening to them. This can
make diagnosing the condition more difficult than need be.
The symptoms of psychotic depression include:
• Anxiety
• Agitation
• Hypochondria
• Insomnia
• Physical Immobility
• Constipation
• Cognitive Impairment
Research into the cause of psychotic depression has shown that those who suffer
from this illness have high levels of the hormone cortisol in their blood.
Cortisol is responsible for the fight or flight response people have during
times of stress.
Treating psychotic depression can be achieved with a combination anti-depressant
and anti-psychotic medication. In some cases Electroconvulsive therapy has been
shown to be effective in treating the condition but is only used as a backup
therapy. It is important to note that treatment for this condition usually
requires hospitalization and continued monitoring by a professional mental
health therapist.
If the proper treatment is obtained the prognosis for those who suffer psychotic
depression is good, but it can take up to a year or more to be effective.
Sufferers of this condition have a much higher recurrence rate, particularly for
the depressive symptoms. It is therefore important that anyone who has suffered
from and been successfully treated for psychotic depression continue to see
their doctor or therapist to help mitigate the recurrence of the illness.
| 
