My psychiatrist said I am having a mental illness with some psychotic elements. I don’t know if I translate well how she said that. I speak French and it is difficult to translate exactly how she said that to me.
My worst symptoms always occurs during the night so I was wondering if it’s possible for someone to have psychosis but only when sleeping.
What do you think?
Normally people get some peace from their symptoms when they sleep. Although some people have nightmares.
For me everything is worst during the night. My breakdowns and my bad days are a result of my bad nights (I mean when I have somatic symptoms during the night).
I get hypogogic hallucinations. Those are hallucinations that happen when you’re halfway between asleep and awake. They’re also known as night terrors. They are horrible. Is this what you mean?
No I am talking about somatic symptoms that occurs during the night when I wake up, like feeling like I’m choking, chest pain, tachycardia and palpitations.
I have never had that. But my other symptoms are much worse at night, because I have nothing to distract me from them. Maybe it’s the same for you?
It’s very clear for me and my psychiatrist that I’m not psychotic during the day, but I’m wondering about the night since this is the root of my problems.
I don’t get peace. Many times the demonic harassment I was experiencing while awake continues into my dreams only now it’s worse because I’m fully in that world instead of them being in my world, if that makes sense. It’s terrible.
So I definitely think psychotic symptoms can carry over into our dreams, but I don’t really think it’s possible to have psychosis that is ONLY present in dreams, because that would mean you just have really weird or unpleasant dreams.
I was actually thinking of you when I made that comment. I know you have a rough time with nightmares.
Then I guess it means I can’t have psychosis. I’m happy but my mental illness remains a mystery… 
But you said you have symptoms at night right? That can still be psychosis. My symptoms always are worse at night time. It’s the same for many others too.
I don’t have psychosis during the day. I thought you were saying that it is impossible to have psychosis during the night but not during the day. Maybe I didn’t understand well…
Well you said is it possible to have psychosis only when SLEEPING which isn’t really possible. It is possible that your symptoms really act up at night and then aren’t really as noticeable during the day.
Ok thanks I understand now! I will talk about that to my psychiatrist next Thursday.
Maybe your are waking up with anxiety and panic?
Anxiety can cause all those symptoms
I don’t know but I don’t feel at all like panicking and anxious or anything like that.
No one has psychosis while sleeping. It is normal to “see things” and “hear things” while sleeping. Perfectly normal.
This is a very common reaction to waking up in the middle of the night, and it can rapidly turn into a full-fledged, omg-i’m-dying panic attack. My co-person gets these and is absolutely hysterical, sometimes in tears of fright when they happen. It doesn’t matter how often they happen, she can’t convince herself that this time, she’s not really dying.
We tried @ninjastar’s trick of an ice pack on the back of the neck. This is supposed to cool down the limbic system, which is flipping out, but it stopped her physical symptoms, too. The brain is a powerful organ. Give this a shot next time this happens.
I also get bad at night when things are quiet. To be honest I hate sleeping but if I don’t sleep then I really get bad during the day. So it seems with sza you really can’t win.
But I see you experience your illness physically. I wonder if you should ask for an anxiety medication of some type?