I know people here are quite pro-med, but I want to share info about a book I am reading: Psychotherapy of schizophrenia. The treatment of choice. By dr. Karon.
He writes about schizophrenia, how he believes it is not genetic or biological, but caused by a string of traumatic or stressful events in a persons life. He describes how to help schizophrenic patients, even severely catatonic ones, by psychotherapy. He describes how to establish genuine contact, mutual trust, a therapeutic relationship, and how to analyze the meaning of the psychosis, that he believes always is symbolic to certain issues in the patients life and how to solve the underlying problems. For example problems in the relationship between the patient and his parents.
He also gives examples of severely ill schizophrenic patients he cured with psychotherapy. And he cites research that shows that psychotherapy alone (by therapists with experience with sz patients) is more effective in the long run than medication alone or even medication plus psychotherapy.
To me… I don’t believe everything he writes in his book, some of his explanations seem quite far-fetched. But it did help me gain insight in some of the themes of my psychosis and my life and to strengthen my thinking. And I strongly believe that if I had been treated with this kind of psychotherapy from the start, my illness would have been over long ago. I even have some hope that it can help me still, although I’m not sure about that…
I know people are very pro-med here, but I’m wondering what others think of this.
I feel like my psychosis has traumatized me more than any event in my life has. But me and my therapist discussed how living with a dad who could randomly go into fits of rage and not knowing if he’d snap and hurt anyone may have contributed to my feelings of never being safe.
Not all people with psychotic disorders have experienced trauma
Thanks for your response. I got psychotic because of trauma, so for me it fit. But I do also feel it’s too black and white to say there is always trauma involved. He btw thought it wasn’t always really obvious trauma, it could also for example be certain more subtle pressures in the way people were parented.
I can imagine your dad’s rage contributed to this feeling of unsafety. My mum could also have fits of rage and rejective remarks, which made me feel unsafe, but she wasn’t abusive.
It’s hard to say whether medication is always necessary, but for the majority of people who have chronic symptoms it’s essential to have something to control the symptoms. Some types of vitamins and herbs can also control symptoms. Neither medication nor supplements cure it; although there are theories of nutrient deficiency being addressed leading to better outcomes. Vitamin D is essential during the winter and for depression. 5-HTP can regulate emotions too. You can take too much 5-HTP though apparently so follow the guidelines.
I’m not exactly sure what is wrong with me mentally because I don’t seem to fit any category. I am going for a psychological evaluation in a few days to find out what’s going on.
Things I notice that I do I have trouble with language and stuff. I might have Autism or some kind of cognitive deficit. I used to have trouble with autonomy and always had to focus on my breathing or I would always pace myself in everything I did. Psychotherapy has always helped me.
I studied carl jung, automatic writing, color therapy and creative visualization. Practice visualization and meditation daily. This seemed to cure the paranoia and delusions over a period of a few years. I used to journal regularly too. I still am taking medication but I am pretty much the same on it or off it.
I know there is such a thing as PTSD induced psychosis, and I know it isn’t given enough attention or studied enough. I feel like that diagnose would be better for people who developed psychosis from trauma rather than sz.
How would you be able to distinguish the difference? Everyone has such diverse living situations. I think usually with schizophrenia the symptoms come about sort of randomly and progressively, but in lucky situations they remain dormant or go away for awhile. I hope I don’t have dormant symptoms that come out later. That would be scary. I am struggling with knowing if I have this illness anymore. Trauma played a factor, but I don’t think was the direct cause. Maybe it was stress. I did sort of shut down. But I think the schizophrenia/psychosis caused the major source of this stress.
Oh ok. No PTSD induced psychosis is (I think) when someone experiences psychotic symptoms as a product of the PTSD, like instead of just the typical PTSD symptoms they have psychosis as well. I haven’t done a lot of reading on it, just came across a paper on it during research once.
It’s also true that someone can be prone to sz and then have the sz triggered by trauma, in which case it would still just be sz. Honestly so many diagnoses blend together you’re right it can be hard to distinguish.
Manipulation, slander, persuasion, deception… Familiar disciplines? Nazi mind games brain washing people with fancy techniques.
Social worker told me while ago, she said You should believe in therapy, otherwise it wont work I have a lot of anger for these snitches. Get away from me please.
If you have a lot of traumatic events in your life it may be helpful but for most sz don’t think it will help. Most of these people that are supposedly cured have had extremely traumatic lives, makes me think that traumatic events have a similar result as getting sz has and maybe they never were sz. But traumatized. My brother sister and I grew up pretty much traumatic free but we all ended up with sz.
I think it takes multiple types of doctors to find a solution and help people with mental illnesses. I don’t completely agree with the doctor that says its not genetic. My dad has schizoaffective disorder like me. I have an aunt who has schizophrenia also a cousin. My mother is bipolar, so is my brother and cousins on my moms side of the family.
