Practical Strategies for Supporting Individuals with Psychosis

This chapter explores practical strategies for assisting those experiencing psychosis, specifically targeting auditory hallucinations and delusional beliefs. It emphasizes the development of coping skills, the importance of understanding personal realities, and creating supportive environments to improve quality of life.

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1. Introduction

2. Understanding Psychotic Symptoms

Symptoms Defined: Psychotic symptoms include hallucinations, delusions, disorganized behavior, and speech.
Associated Disorders:

3. Causes of Psychotic Symptoms

Breakthrough Symptoms: These can occur even in individuals who are generally functional.
Causes:
Unmedicated State: By choice or due to forgetfulness.
Medication Non-compliance: Due to side effects or difficulty maintaining a regimen.
Stress: A major trigger for acute episodes.
Medication Imbalances: Can be caused by dehydration, heat, dietary changes, weight fluctuations, and drug interactions (e.g., antibiotics, caffeine, nicotine).
Other Factors: Conditions like hypoglycemia, severe sleep deprivation, and chronic stress can exacerbate symptoms.

4. Strategies for Support

Medication Management: Ensuring compliance and adjusting for lifestyle changes.
Stress Reduction:
Identify stressors (physical, cognitive, emotional) and work to mitigate them.
Develop emergency plans to address prodromal symptoms (early signs of relapse).
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for Psychosis:
Typically more effective during remission than in acute episodes.
Focuses on reducing symptoms, distress, and interference with quality of life.
Techniques include relaxation training, graded exposure, scaffolding, and activity scheduling.
Environmental Modifications: Adjusting surroundings to minimize stressors and support daily functioning.

5. Recognizing and Managing Prodromal Symptoms

Prodromal Symptoms:
Chronic anxiety, mood swings, sleep disturbances, memory problems, social withdrawal, decline in hygiene, and inability to perform daily tasks.
Early Intervention: Recognizing these signs allows for early intervention to prevent full-blown episodes.

6. Addressing Hallucinations and Delusions

Safety and Reality Testing:
Initially, join the individual in their reality to establish safety.
Avoid arguing or reasoning with delusional beliefs during acute episodes.
Use CBT techniques to challenge and reframe delusions during remission.
Behavioral Strategies: Encourage comparison of their behavior to others, use of distraction techniques, and reinforcing positive behaviors.

7. Enhancing Functionality

Daily Living Support: Use lists, schedules, and guides to help individuals manage daily tasks.
Token Economies: Reward systems to encourage participation in therapeutic activities.
Environmental Prompts: Reminders and tools to support memory and task completion.

8. Cognitive and Executive Functioning

Support Strategies:
Break tasks into smaller components (chunking).
Minimize distractions and create structured environments.
Roleplay problem-solving scenarios.
Use alarms and reminders for medication and daily tasks.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Applied during remission or prodromal phases to manage residual symptoms and improve quality of life.

9. Final Considerations

Relapse Prevention:
Continuous monitoring of stress levels and medication effectiveness.
Developing a strong support system and improving stress management skills.
Therapeutic Engagement: Ensuring clients feel safe and validated in discussing their symptoms.

10. Conclusion